Another year of Vacation Bible School has been placed in the books and, yet again, God showed up in amazing ways. Families came out in great force, dinners were served, songs were sung and danced to, beach balls were tossed, and Mrs. Heather blew a few things up. That list alone equals success but when you add in the parenting class and the moms and dads that are now thinking purposefully about the legacy they are leaving for their kids, well, that's total win.
One of the shortfalls of VBS is that my own family gets the shaft that week. My husband gets an emotionally and physically exhausted wife and my kids get a mom that is saving her smiles and fun for the crowds that walk through the door each evening. They love VBS, I think, because the great fun is such a great contrast to the crazed mom at home.
Every year I promise them great things after VBS. We'll go on bike rides and water parks and picnics...as so as VBS is over. Except that Sunday, during the Worship Finale, I started having this ache in my throat. "That's weird," I thought, "I hope I'm not coming down with something." How could I possibly be getting sick? I only hugged or high-fived one hundred plus kids last week. I'm sure none of them had germs, right?
Hmmm. Now it's Tuesday, my kids are complaining, and I'm fighting a coughing fit. I saw the doctor yesterday who diagnosed a common cold and gave me some syrup that knocks me out cold. We are on week two of summer vacation and no family fun has been had to write about yet. My hopes are high for week three.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Monday, June 3, 2013
A Basket of Fish and VBS
It's one week from Kingdom Rock Vacation Bible School at my church and, if I'm going to be totally honest, I'm teetering between extreme excitement and extreme fear. When friends ask me what I'm afraid of I really have no good answer. I have a great team in place and I know that God is going to rain down great blessings on every family that attends. I think my fear comes from knowing how big VBS is and not knowing exactly how it will play out. I have a little comfort in knowing that I'm not the first to be in fear or doubt of big situations though.
You see, there's a great story in the Bible of Jesus teaching to a large crowd. The people were out in such great number that they covered the hillside. Come lunch time the disciples looked to Jesus and said, "Hey Dude, let's take a break. We're getting hungry. The crowd is getting hungry. We don't have the means to feed all these people and, even if we did, it would take forever. Let's send them away, let them rest up, grab a burger, and we can all gather back later for you to keep on teaching."
Jesus saw that the disciples had no idea how little faith they actually had so he found a little boy with a picnic lunch. It was just a regular lunch, some fish and bread. It wasn't even like the "Bucket O'Fish" from the local drive through. It was a simple basket lunch that his mom had probably packed for him. Jesus lifted the lunchable heavenward, asked God to bless it, and suddenly there was food to feed the thousands.
I have to believe the disciples had a big "DOH!" moment when they realized that once again they had misjudged the power of Jesus. I think they probably looked at each other, knowingly embarrassed by their continued lack of belief. I wonder if they later apologized to Jesus for previously suggesting that they had a better plan.
I'm so thankful for the constant supply of examples, both in the Bible and in my own life, of times when Jesus shows his might and supremacy. I so grateful for the times when I have freaked out because I wasn't in control of something and Jesus steps in and says, "Hey Girl, I got this!" I love that when I expect one thing to happen, because it seems like the most logical and reasonable outcome I can think of, Jesus shows me something far greater.
You see, there's a great story in the Bible of Jesus teaching to a large crowd. The people were out in such great number that they covered the hillside. Come lunch time the disciples looked to Jesus and said, "Hey Dude, let's take a break. We're getting hungry. The crowd is getting hungry. We don't have the means to feed all these people and, even if we did, it would take forever. Let's send them away, let them rest up, grab a burger, and we can all gather back later for you to keep on teaching."
Jesus saw that the disciples had no idea how little faith they actually had so he found a little boy with a picnic lunch. It was just a regular lunch, some fish and bread. It wasn't even like the "Bucket O'Fish" from the local drive through. It was a simple basket lunch that his mom had probably packed for him. Jesus lifted the lunchable heavenward, asked God to bless it, and suddenly there was food to feed the thousands.
I have to believe the disciples had a big "DOH!" moment when they realized that once again they had misjudged the power of Jesus. I think they probably looked at each other, knowingly embarrassed by their continued lack of belief. I wonder if they later apologized to Jesus for previously suggesting that they had a better plan.
I'm so thankful for the constant supply of examples, both in the Bible and in my own life, of times when Jesus shows his might and supremacy. I so grateful for the times when I have freaked out because I wasn't in control of something and Jesus steps in and says, "Hey Girl, I got this!" I love that when I expect one thing to happen, because it seems like the most logical and reasonable outcome I can think of, Jesus shows me something far greater.
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