I did however, reflect on several occasions—three to be
exact—when I had been asked to serve in the nursery. It is one of the least coveted
tasks for most people. It almost seems like a punishment. You miss two of the
three meetings and babysit everyone else’s kids so that they can serve as
teachers or attend their classes.
The first time I was called, I was young and single and
completely insulted that they would expect me to have to watch bratty kids. I
wasn’t the one that decided to have kids! Although there was supposed to be a
lesson and structured outline for the two hours, I skipped it. I didn’t want to
bother with trying to teach kids that could hardly speak and were NOT my
children. I didn’t pay attention to their names and still can’t remember any
that were in there.
The second time, I was married and both my husband and I
were put in Nursery. I had 23 month old twins and a nursing baby. Since my
husband was primarily interested in disciplining, I tried to do a lesson,
coloring, and singing time. But it never failed that I would have to leave to
nurse and the twins would cling to me and want my attention.
The last time I was in Nursery, the twins were in Primary
and Lane was in another Nursery. It was a very young ward. There were eight
nurseries. Lane hated his class and started screaming and crying every Sunday
as soon as we parked in the church parking lot. So, I was actually excited to
take over Nursery. I pulled Lane from his class and just brought him into ours.
This time, I really looked forward to being a Nursery teacher. I felt sympathy
for these moms who were exhausted from their little children and babies and
took my calling very seriously.
I read the introduction to the Nursery manual and one part
in particular touched me. It said to love these children as Jesus does and know
that this is their first experience with church. I had the stewardship to help
them begin with a positive experience.
I decided to make a poster board that said, “Nursery is our
garden, let’s grow it!” I made foam flower pots and birds and a sun. Then put
on detachable flowers, I took a picture of each child and put their name on a
flower in foam letters. When they would come into class they would grab their
flower and stick it in the garden. I also would buy cool nametag stickers so
that after putting their flower in the garden they could put their nametag on.
I bought wicker chargers—the kind that are supposed to go
under a dinner plate. They were all different colors and I would put them in a
stack. When it was time for a lesson or singing time they each had to grab one
and put it in a semi-circle around me. They would sit on their mat and listen
or sing.
Each week I would come up with a craft to go along with the
lesson. Our church was from 11 to 2 so most of the kids were getting hungry
during that time. I bought small utensil trays that were the perfect size for a
lunch tray. They had four sides and rubber lining so they were easy to clean. I
bought tiny sippy cups in orange, pink, blue, yellow and green—so each child
had their own water throughout class. For lunch, I would make tiny sandwiches
with crackers or goldfish and fresh fruit. They would each get their little
tray and sippy cup and sit down at the little table. Each week, there was a
brown paper bag on the table with their name on it. Every week it had a homemade
treat and they would put their craft or activity inside of it, so they always
left with a brown bag.
I looked forward to Nursery all week and would find myself
thinking of new ideas for class. I loved those little kids. It was really the
best two hours of my week. One woman, who brought the newsletter and lesson updates
to our class for me, had a daughter in another nursery class who hated to go.
She was a tiny little thing with a soft voice. She had been born with some
damage to her vocal chords and even though she could speak, if she cried it was
a tiny noise.
She had told the other teachers that it was difficult to listen
to her and about how they needed to listen to her closely because it was hard
to hear what she was saying or if she was crying. She would often go in to
check on Ellie and she would be curled up in the corner crying. I told her to bring Ellie into our class.
After only a few weeks, Ellie would come straight into class with a big smile
on her face. She was partial to Brant and would run straight into his arms. Her
mom came and thanked us with tears in her eyes. She was so grateful. As a mom,
this time, I totally got it.
By the end of the year, the kids would graduate to primary.
I was so sad and almost cried our last Sunday. Throughout the year, parent
after parent would come in and thank us and tell us how much they appreciated
how much effort we put into the class. Two different parents wrote us thank you
notes and expressed gratitude for helping their children have such a great
experience at church.
I felt humbled and so honored to serve them. They helped me
to learn and grow and become a better person. I truly gave everything I had to
make it the best that I could. They say that service is one of the ways to be
happy.
I’m not writing this to show how great I was or how much I
went above and beyond what every other teacher did. (Even though, let’s be
honest I overkilled it.) The point is, that when I changed my attitude I
changed lives. When I was humble to serve, I was blessed with insight.
Everything that happened blossomed into something great. I think back to my
earlier times of service, and am ashamed that I had such a bad attitude. It was
the same calling, with the same tasks, but I don’t think I affected anyone in a
positive way.
It’s made me think about my life
and how much my attitude will affect the outcome of the future. And how
much—me, one person--has the power to influence a lot of lives. Everyone has
that opportunity whether it is at church, work, or at home. Our circle of
influence can spread like a ripple in the ocean. The most important person it
can influence is you. When you’re stronger, everyone else around is stronger,
happier, and more successful. It’s an important time to reflect on this for me.
Attitude IS everything.
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