Jesus, The Babysitter
As I looked at my schedule for the day in front of me, I saw very few empty spaces. Class from 8:00-5:30, then a babysitting job from 6:00-8:30. Why did I take that babysitting job? It was going to be a busy, busy day.
By one o'clock, I sat quietly in my Bible class, waiting for one more hour to pass. The class quieted at the sound of the first bell. Our teacher stood behind the podium and took a breath to begin class.
"Please open your Bibles and begin a search for characteristics of Jesus. You can look in the gospels, in Isaiah, the Psalms, or really anywhere. When you find one, write it down with the verse reference. In the next ten minutes, try to find at least seven."
The room filled with the sounds of pages turning and papers shuffling. Once the ten minutes passed, the professor returned to the front of the room to continue his instructions. He pointed at the blank dry erase board that lined the entire wall behind him.
"Now I would like you to come up to the board a few at a time and fill this blank space with the characteristics that you have just discovered."
One by one, students went up to the board and wrote a few items from their list. I watched the white board transform into a canvas of different handwriting in different colors and sizes. With each added word or phrase, the masterpiece became more and more beautiful. Once there was no room left to write, our teacher approached the board and read aloud all the attributes one by one.
"Teacher. Healer. Prophet."
He moved his hand across the board as he read each one.
"Compassionate. Loving. Wise. Shepherd. Fortune teller...now that's an interesting one!" The class laughed as he continued.
While he read, my eyes skimmed the board for words that stood out to me. One that I noticed right away said "Babysitter" with a reference to the passage of Scripture that talks about Jesus letting the little children come to Him. I smiled at that clever observation and then returned to listening to our teacher.
"You are right in describing Jesus, but how does the world come to know Him as these characteristics?" The class remained silent as we waited for him to continue.
"Through us." After that, I am not sure what he said because my thoughts were stuck on that statement. I often look at people who are hurting and think, If only they knew Jesus as their hope." I will see people who are immoral and think, If only they knew Jesus as their savior.When someone needs to know Jesus as love, we are called to be that love. When someone needs to know Jesus as their comfort, we can be that comfort. When they need a savior and healer, we can be the ones who care for them and point them to Jesus as the ultimate source. Suddenly, my eyes flashed back to that word that had first caught my attention: babysitter.
Babysitter! The characteristic of Jesus that I thought was so silly at first became the most important one to me. All of a sudden, I didn't dread my babysitting job so much. Even through babysitting, I can demonstrate to the world around me who Jesus really is. By caring for children with welcoming love, people can see Jesus as the protecter and caregiver of their children.
Jesus has called us by name to declare who He is so that people can come to know Him through our words and actions. Anything and everything you do can be an opportunity to show people the characteristics of our God. Even babysitting!
By one o'clock, I sat quietly in my Bible class, waiting for one more hour to pass. The class quieted at the sound of the first bell. Our teacher stood behind the podium and took a breath to begin class.
"Please open your Bibles and begin a search for characteristics of Jesus. You can look in the gospels, in Isaiah, the Psalms, or really anywhere. When you find one, write it down with the verse reference. In the next ten minutes, try to find at least seven."
The room filled with the sounds of pages turning and papers shuffling. Once the ten minutes passed, the professor returned to the front of the room to continue his instructions. He pointed at the blank dry erase board that lined the entire wall behind him.
"Now I would like you to come up to the board a few at a time and fill this blank space with the characteristics that you have just discovered."
One by one, students went up to the board and wrote a few items from their list. I watched the white board transform into a canvas of different handwriting in different colors and sizes. With each added word or phrase, the masterpiece became more and more beautiful. Once there was no room left to write, our teacher approached the board and read aloud all the attributes one by one.
"Teacher. Healer. Prophet."
He moved his hand across the board as he read each one.
"Compassionate. Loving. Wise. Shepherd. Fortune teller...now that's an interesting one!" The class laughed as he continued.
While he read, my eyes skimmed the board for words that stood out to me. One that I noticed right away said "Babysitter" with a reference to the passage of Scripture that talks about Jesus letting the little children come to Him. I smiled at that clever observation and then returned to listening to our teacher.
"You are right in describing Jesus, but how does the world come to know Him as these characteristics?" The class remained silent as we waited for him to continue.
"Through us." After that, I am not sure what he said because my thoughts were stuck on that statement. I often look at people who are hurting and think, If only they knew Jesus as their hope." I will see people who are immoral and think, If only they knew Jesus as their savior.When someone needs to know Jesus as love, we are called to be that love. When someone needs to know Jesus as their comfort, we can be that comfort. When they need a savior and healer, we can be the ones who care for them and point them to Jesus as the ultimate source. Suddenly, my eyes flashed back to that word that had first caught my attention: babysitter.
Babysitter! The characteristic of Jesus that I thought was so silly at first became the most important one to me. All of a sudden, I didn't dread my babysitting job so much. Even through babysitting, I can demonstrate to the world around me who Jesus really is. By caring for children with welcoming love, people can see Jesus as the protecter and caregiver of their children.
Jesus has called us by name to declare who He is so that people can come to know Him through our words and actions. Anything and everything you do can be an opportunity to show people the characteristics of our God. Even babysitting!
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