The First Graders in my Sunday School class teach me so much; I sometimes wonder who the teacher is. A few weeks back, a wee one was trembling in the hallway. I hadn't noticed her when another teacher came in, "Is this little one in the hall yours?"
There she was. Long blonde curly locks. Looking down at the ground. I figured she needed a little courage to come to class. "Can I take your hand?" She reluctantly took it, but barely moved. Thanks to the Holy Spirit, for in that moment, I stopped, kneeled down to her sweet face, "What's wrong, sweetie."
"I had waffles," she replied.
It turns out, she had syrup stuck on her face. I don't know about you, but I HATE dried syrup on my face! I quickly whisked her to get a wet paper towel, she wiped off her face and practically skipped to class. It was just what she needed.
By taking the time to ascertain her need, I was able to truly minister to her. It made me wonder...
How many times have I THOUGHT I was ministering to someone when I was completely missing their need?
Take a moment. And ask. Get to know people's hearts before you try to do something to help them. You might be surprised by the simple things God has for you to do for someone else.
Terese Main is a morning co-host at Family Life, a network of nearly
70 Christian radio stations across New York and Pennsylvania
(www.fln.org). She also provides imaging voicework for stations in
Florida, California, Minnesota, Virginia and Wisconsin
(www.themainvoice.com).
