At 3:00 almost every day (Tuesday is my study day) I’m standing alongside two mothers waiting outside a fence for the bell that signifies the end of a school day. By 3:10 I’m walking up the hill carrying an extremely heavy backpack (different child each day) and occasionally holding a hand on the way to Bible Club at Church.
I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunities God has given me to impact children’s lives as a spiritual-parent, but it can be exhausting.
- When they continually interrupt the lesson
- Thief (steal) each others reward tickets
- Refuse to sit beside someone else because they “go to the other school”
- Pout and cry because I don’t give them a piece of candy
- Take the ball and run with it themselves instead of playing the game with others
- Do the ONE THING that I tell them not to do!
I am aware that parents deal with this and more everyday (particularly mothers) and have a deep respect for your ministry in this. The exhaustion of Spiritual Parenting doesn’t really come from daily drama though, but the short amount of time I have with them.
It’s very difficult to change the attitude and character of a child when your only with them between 3:00 and 4:30 every day.
There are days when that time feels like a drop in a bucket that doesn’t make a difference, but with the Lords help I am there because their parents aren’t. This isn’t because the parents don’t care of course, but most of them are working. Sadly for many children in SVG this means not seeing them mom or dad till late at night.
I will never be able to replace a parents presence with Bible Club four days a week. But that time of ministry can mean all the world to children starved for attention.
Johnhwilburn.org 