Little Blessings

Children, whether your own or those of others, can be little blessings. In my case, it turned out to be those of others.

When my husband and I married, we planned for a family. It's a long story, but it turned out to be an empty dream. In fact, neither of our families was very prolific in the baby department. But children were still important to us.

In my teens, I volunteered as a Sunday School teacher. My class of preschoolers was so much fun. Then after college, I taught in primary grades.

As Ministry Associate in a growing church, one assignment was to organize Sunday School and Children's Church. At that point, I was a teacher of teachers. But it was a pleasure to work with volunteers who truly cared about children.

My personal passion was the children's choir. Two moms were great assistants. One was always ready to play the musical tracks, and the other prepared the snacks.

Our thirty children presented a mini-concert one Sunday morning each month. The impact of these little blessings was obvious. Adult attendance became noticeably larger.

Little blessings, however, did not always come in big groups. My husband and I were blessed by the friendship of a young family with three children. Two little boys and their younger sister helped us create many happy memories.

We were also blessed with a Goddaughter. A family we had known for four generations honored us with this addition to their family. That little baby grew into a lovely young adult and we're still in touch.

One year, during a sabbatical, we lived with best friends for six months. The little blessing there was their three-year-old granddaughter. We enjoyed our daily interaction with her.

People have different reactions to Psalm 127:3,5. It speaks of children being a blessing from the Lord. My advice is, "Be open to little blessings, no matter how they come to you."