For the past three weeks, all I’ve had on my mind was Vacation Bible School. I was typing up class lists, keeping track of registration fees, and making signs. While I walked, I listened to VBS music and tried to memorize words. While I sat at jury duty, I read the curriculum and wrote lesson plans. And then it was finally THE WEEK. Parents and kids filled the quiet narthex of our church and it was time for VBS to begin!
I felt like a blur all week long. Singing songs, organizing skits and telling Bible stories was uplifting and exhausting all at the same time. By the time the morning was over the last thing I wanted to do was keep going, make lunch for Lily and Emmy, and plan for the next day. I wanted to nap. I think I actually did nap at least once.
Let me tell you, VBS kids have a way of knowing how they should answer a question. When doing a lesson about caring, I asked the kids to tell me someone who loves them. They were supposed to say “Mom” or “Dad” or “my sister” and I would write their answer down on a sticky note shaped like a heart. At the end of the morning, I was going to arrange all the hearts into a large cross. The first answer I heard the kids say? “JESUS!” Yes, they knew the whole point of the lesson before I had even taught it.
The week flew by. I beamed with pride by the end when the kids were standing up and singing with joy “Standing on the Promises of God!” I knew that my prayers had been answered and the Spirit had moved through our mornings together.
So even though at times I feel resentful that VBS planning seemed to take over my life, feel tired and worn out and blurry, VBS also has a way of bringing my life back into focus. I should say, the Spirit has a way of bringing my life back into focus. So yes, I missed a couple weeks of writing on my blog. I still have some wrapping up work to do for VBS. But all that work…and the work of the Spirit…makes my volunteering gig worth it.
