It seemed like everything I heard and saw yesterday was testifying to me of the love God has for each of us individually, which made for a really sweet day. I loved listening to Kate's confirmation blessing. It spoke volumes that this dear sister from Ghana was able to hear the blessing in her own native tongue. Even though she now lives far, far from home. (I don't know how many priesthood holders we have in the area who are from Ghana and speak their language, but I'm guessing it's not that many.) It brought tears to my eyes to know that God loves her so much that He made is possible for her to hear such a special blessing in the comfort of her own language.
Sacrament Meeting can be quite entertaining. I know it's supposed to be very spiritual (and it usually is. And there are often sweet moments like the one above) but sometimes being in a meeting with children all around you is downright entertaining. Like when the two brothers sitting next to me were drawing things on their magna-doodle and then having the other one guess what it was. The older brother was doing a good job of confounding his brother. So I couldn't help but laugh when the younger one drew what appeared to be squiggles (I probably would have guessed spaghetti) and his brother immediately said "Is it an alien?" The younger brother excitedly answered that it was he and was so happy that his brother guessed right on the first try. (I was impressed too...) It was then that the older brother kinda muttered "He always draws aliens." There was no way to keep a straight face after that!
My daughter pointed out to me that the young girl sitting in front of us kept biting down on her father's finger. Bite... look at it... see the dad kinda smile... bite again, further up... check for teeth marks and dad's response... bite again. That's one method of keeping a kid quiet that I hadn't thought of. (And it worked. She was very well behaved!)
I know a lot of people purposely avoid sitting near the families with young children so they won't be distracted by them. But not me. I love it. I'll give up a little of the spirituality in order to enjoy the innocence and liveliness of children. After all, that's what the kingdom of God is made of. (So don't worry if you're one of the families with small children. You're always welcome to sit with or near us. Your kids don't bother or annoy us. I will warn you, though, that sometimes it's hard not to join them...)
3 comments:
Hmmm. . . we will be sitting next to you next week in sacrament meeting.
We were sitting next to an investigator (sp?) on Sunday. After Kate's confirmation, he leaned over and asked Steve--in all seriousness--if they were speaking in tongues.
OK, so you touched both my spirit and my funny bone with this one.
I wish I could have been there to see Kate's confirmation. She is such a sweet lady, and I love her family. (and the "speaking in tongues" question is awesome!)
I also love having entire families with children in Sacrament Meeting. The "aliens" line was perfect, and the carnivorous little girl image is priceless. I have too many of those images in my mental databank to try to tell here, but I love that aspect of our worship.
I spoke in the University Branch yesterday, and the absolute silence during the administration of the sacrament was wonderful - but I honestly missed the quiet buzz of the littlest children. The silence was appropriate and beautiful in a congregation full of college students and single adults, but it would be too sterile for me in my current role of father. It was an interesting experience, especially when followed by reading this post.
What a great meeting! I was sorry to miss Kate's baptism and confirmation - what a priceless experience!!
The kids' actions are so cute! I guess there's one aspect of sitting near the front that you miss...
I love our meetings and having our kids with us as we worship. I wouldn't have it any other way!
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