Tiny Ministers

A few years ago when I was babysitting for Ashlyn and Emily, I was amazed at what they taught me. Emily was not happy that her parents left for the evening and started crying. Nothing that I did made her stop so Ashlyn said she would “read” the story before bed. After we finished a book, Ashlyn announced that Emily wanted a Bible story. Four year old Ashlyn selected the children’s Bible from the basket of books.
“Emily, what story do you want?” she asked. It was obvious that she knew the stories as she thumbed through the pages.
“Here is one about David and Goliath. Goliath was a giant. David was a small boy. David used his sling shot with a stone and hit Goliath. God was with him,” she stated matter-of-factly.
“Emily, let’s pray.” As she prayed she said each word slowly so that Emily could repeat them.
“Jesus, thank you for David. Thank you for Goliath. Amen,” they both said.
I understood why she prayed for David but why Goliath? Then I remembered Ephesians 5:19-20 …Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Without a Goliath, David may have only been an unknown shepherd. The difficult people and situations in our lives shape us and prepare us for God’s special plans. That was my first sermon from the small minister.
The next story that Ashlyn chose was the one about Mary and Martha.
“Martha wanted to clean the house and fix food,” she said while studying the brightly colored pictures. Then she looked at her little sister, cupped her hand over her ear, and proclaimed, “But Mary listened to Jesus. Emily, she listened.”
Emily cupped her hand over her tiny ear as she imitated her big sister.
“Let’s pray. Emily, say this. Jesus, thank you for Martha and her sister, Mary.” Again, Ashlyn spoke slowly and distinctly so that Emily could repeat every word.
The second sermon that I heard was the importance of really listening to those around us. What a joy to see both girls grow physically and spiritually. When Jesus said to let the little children come to Him, He knew how important they were and that they could teach in their own sweet, precious way. Grandma was certainly learning from the tiny ministers.