THANKS

I can’t tell you their names. But I do know for a fact my Sunday School and youth group leaders were there even though their identities escape me today. Their efforts live on – in me, in my kids, in other kids and even in their kids.

My mother started bringing me to church, to Sunday School and Vacation Bible School when I was very small. When my sister and my brothers came along, she brought them, too. While my father supported mom in her efforts, he did not regularly attend. She did it on her own. Regularly. Faithfully.

My teachers were regular and faithful, too. From the Bible they taught me about God and how He made the world; how He created each blade of grass, each pebble of rock, each drop of the ocean. And how He created me. They made sure I knew that because God loved me so much He wanted me with Him in heaven someday; they showed me that God sent Jesus, His One and Only Son, to die for me so that I could live in heaven with Him someday. They gave me an opportunity to accept that gift and guided me along the way after I did. They encouraged me to reach others and helped me to learn how to do that.

I did grow up to follow in my teachers’ footsteps. Since about the age of 14 I’ve taught Sunday School, VBS, weekday kids’ clubs. At age 61 I’m still doing it. Over the years I’ve had the privilege of modeling the Gospel to my daughters, their friends, my grandsons and a whole new generation of little ones. Granted, some days are more difficult than others, some children are sassier than others, and some days it might seem the better part of valor to retire the teacher’s manual, but the reality is this: kids today need to know about Jesus just as much as they did when I was young. What was poured into me in years past still needs pouring into little people today.

This morning I saw a photo of my grandsons showing off the awards they earned for a year of memorizing Scripture. I also saw a message from one of my former students as she looked forward to her children receiving the same awards in a few weeks. And I couldn’t help but thank God for those teachers-with-no-names from bygone days for the part they played in raising up my generation, my children and these 2013 children of faith. Their efforts are still paying dividends for God's Kingdom! May they reap their rewards – and may this spiritual legacy continue!