Because Then You Have Someone to Sit With....

Today I spent much of my morning playing with kids under the age of 9 (there's one or two older....but when I say most....we're talking like 11)  We spent much of our time outside laughing with bubbles and relay games and tag and bubbles and parachute games.  If you ever play Sharks and Minnows as a big person with a lot of little persons....it is HILARIOUS to let the 3 year old chunky little guy with the sparkly blue eyes pull you under the parachute.  Because after all....he has incredible muscles he is constantly showing you and this will give him life.

But first....because Ms. Mindy really doesn't like 'kid' time while grown ups have 'big church' to just be about playing....we first spent some time sharing prayer requests.

4-7 year olds have the sweetest prayer requests.

I pray my mom is a great nurse.
I pray for my cats Lou and Pork Chop.
I pray.
I pray for Jesus.
I don't want to pray.
I pray for my friends.
I pray for church. For my friends and family.
I don't know, is it time to go outside?

These prayer requests led to a talk about friends.  And a couple of kids that wouldn't or couldn't share a prayer request when asked directly...began to have this amazing conversation about friends.  And the struggle with friends.

There's one friend group and another friends group. And "Sarah" (not her real name) used to be a part of the first group but now she's made friends with the second group and the first group is sad and sometimes mad. Because well, they like "Sarah" and don't want to split her time.

I naively suggested maybe both groups could be friends.

And then another little seven year old friend chimed in.

Oh that's hard.  I mean, you have one group and another group and then you have a lot of people and they don't wanna play the same thing, and they don't all like each other and then you have to choose who you are going to sit by and it's like, it's like, (heavy sigh) so much!!!

And I realized that I had done what I always tell adults not to do when they talk with kids....I had minimized the seriousness of their situation and given a band aid suggestion.

So we took a minute and talked about how it must be hard to be "Sarah" because sometimes when you start to get older...the friends you had in kindergarten or third grade are not the friends you will have in fifth grade or eighth grade. And how very hard that is. That you aren't trying to mean. And that this can happen for all kinds of reasons.  And how even if it might hurt your feelings....it's ok.  And how school can be hard if you don't have friends.  But really....really?  One good friend is all you need.  If you have one good friend....you can make it.

And then one guy...who is a little older and often hangs out with us but rarely engages, said---almost to himself, 'Because then you have someone to sit with.'

And I said, "Exactly. "Jim" (not his name) is exactly right.  Someone to sit with.  Sometimes all you need is someone to sit with.

And his little friend who is no more than four said, 'Because then you aren't alone.'

And in that moment....the entire group kind of smiled and nodded.

It was one of the best moments we've had as a group yet.

And so there was no reason to move onto the bible story and activity.

Because we had shared community, compassion, listening, understanding and as a collective unit...love.

That's what I got today.