"Children, God's best gift" by Karen Rogers

A primary motivator in my moving back to Missouri after 40+ years in Texas was the desire to be near my family. I loved what I was doing in Dallas and was closely connected to the friends I loved there but “home” was always KCMO.

I’m grateful that all 3 of my siblings live in Missouri and most of their children and grandchildren do, too. So that lets me, “Auntie Karen”, rub elbows more often with family members who now range in age from 4 to 86. Although I have no children of my own, I can claim “grandkids” vis-à-vis great nieces and nephews. And it’s a treat!

What draws the most frequent visits from the two youngest “grands”? These days, it’s coming to drop “helicopter” seed pods from the deck, suck the bejeebers out of a sugar-free popsicle, and play “Don’t wake the Baby” in my travel trailer parked nearby.

The path between grandma’s house next door and my house is, I am pleased to report, well worn by little feet. When the seed pods are all gone, there will be a different attraction – maybe the goldfish down in the pond. When HyVee or Walmart puts a sale on Popsicles, I stock up. And opening up the trailer and wiping smudy fingerprints off the windows never grows tiresome. I relish these days while they’re here. I know they won’t always be.

One of the blessings of life, though, is that children can always be found – be noticed – be drawn into conversation – and be loved. Whether the children branch off my family tree or not, they’re my kin in the family of God. During the decades when I had no family nearby, I still took great joy in teaching third grade Sunday School, working in the public schools, volunteering at youth camps … the opportunities were endless.

Right now our own church family at 2BC needs a whole host of new “aunties” and “uncles” to say “yes” to the invitation to connect with our children and youth. Whether it means rocking a baby during 11:00 worship or finding out what’s happening in the life of that eighth grader, adult connections seem to matter. A lot.

Did you hear that message loudly and clearly through words of the students who led our Youth Sunday service and the high school graduates who gathered before us just a week ago? I heard it. Drew, Cheryl, Jordan, Ron, Becky, Charles - and so many more - have made permanent positive impressions on young lives. I suspect we could predict what kind of response we’d get if we asked any of those adults how they feel about their connection with these young people who share no blood kinship with them. The theme would probably be something like, “I get more out of it than I give.”

So, whether the attraction is popsicles, or playing silly games, or a youth outing, or tutoring math, or being paired with someone in our new 2B Buddies program, or leading an after school club at Schumacher, or playing an instrument for children’s choir, or teaching Sunday School, or … you name it. I pray that the path from the young people to your presence will be well-worn and joyful.

Don’t you see that children are God’s best gift? Psalm 127:3, The Message