From the Mouth of Babes...Bye, Bye, Jonah Day!!

I have been a fan of Anne of Green Gables ever since I was a little girl and there is a chapter there on Jonah days.

As most of you know, Jonah was in a storm while out to sea, thrown overboard by his fellow shipmates (at his request), and then swallowed by a whale. He was having a BAD DAY!

Sunday was for me -- a JONAH day.

It seemed like from the moment I opened my eyelids and stepped my toes onto the floor that I, as they say, woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Life felt overwhelming and the day loomed ahead of me.

I got in the car and the pressure surmounted as I thought of the needs and responsibilities of the day, and then we got to church. As pastors, we are there early of course to make sure all is in order for the services....and true to the wake up....all was NOT in order!

It is winter in South Africa and we are having an unusually cold spell and the buildings here are not made with central air or heat and the gas bottles had run out! The clip that gets played during the offering was still at the main campus (40 minutes away) when our 1st service started. One of my Sunday school coordinators was stuck at home because of transportaion issues and the other one is 9 months pregnant so limited in what she can do and when she can get to church as she also has a 2 year old in tow. All of these things changed the order of service for the day putting pressure on Arno and my "wrong side of the bed attitude" was NOT helping. To top it all off, it was Father's Day and we have special gifts that the children pass out to the dads that must be coordinated. Plus, my daddy is far away....!

So, the point of this post is NOT a rant on my BAD DAY, but to show you how no matter how big or small our problems are God works it out....and the chosen vessels that God used on Sunday were all under the age of 10!

After all of the problems had been sorted and gifts had been delivered to the fathers in the main auditorium, I was in our children's church, 3CKidz!, along with the teachers, helping the children make cards for their dads and within 20 minutes, these little minds & hearts radically shifted my day.

Their completle unawareness:
1) Lionel, 6, goes to Chantall M and asks, "Why is Auntie Chantell (Herbst) so big?" (She is 9 months pregnant and he comes to church EVERY Sunday!! :)

Their new discoveries:
2) Little 4 year old girl asks, "Teacher, can you help me with my card?" I say, "Sure, my sweetheart, what do you want me to help you with." She looks at me quite puzzled and says, "Why do you talk in THAT voice?" (My American accent is not SO familiar to her little ears)

Their heartbreaks:
3) One of our 10 year old boys, was sitting with the other children doing cards with his head down and his card turned upside down. I turn the card over and he has written "un-Happy Father's Day". I try unsuccessfully to find out what is wrong as his parents are both in church that day and live with him. He simply hangs his head with no desire to share.

and finally,

Their unconditional love:
4) Bontle, 5, comes running up to me while I am standing in the middle of the class watching the children with a HUGE smile on his face and hugs me.....JUST BECAUSE!

My JONAH day suddenly seemed so insignificant. The realization of new things, the wonder of discovery, the pain of a tender little heart, and the spontaneous love from such a little one showed me a world outside of my own personal sorrow & frustrations. A world that is equally as real and intense but on a smaller, yet completely significant, scale.

Their worldview transformed mine.....and my Jonah day??....well.....even Jonah eventually got spit out of the whale and back on track again, right? :)