In February of 2001, I wrote the following devotion. In 2011, something very thrilling happened dealing with the subject I was writing about. A friend suggested that I write the story and share it because it was such a blessing. This is “the rest of the story”, at least for now. But first, I will share the original devotion instead of re-telling it:
One Sunday during his sermon, our minister suggested that as we read through the Bible, we should find a way to apply that passage to our lives. Last night I was reading chapter 31 in Exodus, the part where Moses was up on Mount Sinai listening to God. As I began to read, parts of the first six verses seemed to jump off the page. God informed Moses that He had chosen Bezalel, the son of Uri, and “filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kind of craftsmanship, to make artistic designs…. that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship. And behold, I Myself have appointed with him Oholiab… and in the hearts of all who are skillful I have put skill”. NASB
I recall a particular Easter season – Molly was in kindergarten at the time. As the coordinator for Primary worship, which included kindergarten through second grade, I wanted to have a lesson that would really come alive for the children – one that would take their minds off bunnies and candy. I asked the Lord for inspiration. The day kept getting closer and closer and I prayed harder and harder. The lesson would be on Palm Sunday, because the children would be with their parents during the actual Easter service.
Do you ever save things, thinking: “I know that could be useful for something…” Bob had been asking me why in the world I was saving the plastic bottoms off of two liter soda bottles. I really did not know what to tell him other than to just wait and see. I had volunteered to help with the Easter party at Molly’s class. One of her particular friends had the chicken pox and could not be there. Molly wanted to make sure that she received party treats as well, so I agreed to take them to her. We decided to make a little basket, using one of the bottle bottoms for the basket and a chenille wire for the handle. It was on the trip to her house that my “creative juices” started flowing.
“We could make REAL Easter baskets!” Molly looked at me funny. My mind began to churn out idea after idea and as I voiced them, she began to get excited about helping me get things ready. The hard part was condensing the craft so that it was not overwhelming. We made a basket for each child and used a white napkin to line it. I decided to use the Gospel of Mark as my reference; it kept things simple for the children. I had copies printed of the Scripture, using the International Children’s Version for the resource.
Before reading Mark 15:1-5, 15-20 with the children that Sunday morning, my helpers and I passed out items to represent the whip, the purple robe, and the crown of thorns. When we read about each one, we placed that item into our baskets. Then we read verses 21-22 and 24-26, adding a cross and nails. For verses 33-37, we put in a “puff” of some dark gray stuffing to represent darkness, along with a small piece of sponge and a miniature clothespin for the body of Jesus. As we went through verses 43-47, we wrapped the little body up with a strip of white cloth and placed it into a plastic egg, saying that the bigger part of the egg represented the tomb and the smaller part represented the stone that was rolled over it. I made small cloth bags filled with spices for use with Mark 16:1-7. Iridescent white chenille wires were twisted into stick figures to help remember the man in a white robe.
The children in class that Sunday were enthralled with the lesson. They went home and told their parents and their extended families and their neighbors the story, using their own set of visual aids. I get teary-eyed when I think of how many parents reported to those of us who worked in Primary Worship how the children had witnessed to people; some who had never even heard the story of Jesus in connection with Easter. We used the concept again two or three years later with the same results.
My whole point is this – we never know how God can use our skills for Him. We may never know how many lives we can touch by using our God-given abilities for His glory. The passage in Exodus affirmed to me that He gave us those skills and will inspire us in ways to use them if we will only listen.
Scripture: “Light is sown like seed for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.” Psalm 97:11 NIV
And now for the rest of the story, at least for the time being:
My most recent work with children has been in the preschool area, working with MOPS children while their mothers meet together. (For those who need more info, MOPS stands for Mothers of Preschoolers; it is a national organization with local chapters.)
The church I attend has a MOPS group and I volunteered to help with the older children. Each year at Easter, I have taught the Resurrection story of Jesus using the baskets as visual aids. The children get so excited because they can use the contents of their baskets to share the story with others.
In 2011, I was really considering doing something different. Two of the children in my group had been in my Easter class twice already, and I wondered if I should find another way to illustrate the story. Just in case I didn’t, I went ahead and purchased the things I needed for the baskets. They don’t put the colored bottoms on 2-liter soda bottles anymore, so now I use disposable Rubbermaid containers, which works out well because the lids keep the children from losing the contents out of their baskets. (Wired ribbon makes wonderful handles, and I picked Rubbermaid containers because they have “ears” on either side that I can punch holes in to attach the handles without interfering with the fit of the lid.)
Bob and I had two new grandsons in April of that year – Lincoln on the 4th and Liam on the 8th. They both lived close to St. Louis, so after they were born we were eager to go to see them – a four-hour trip. However, I had an overwhelming desire to stay in Indiana until after MOPS on the 14th. Since Bob had a medical appointment on the 13th, he had no problem with doing so.
A couple of days before MOPS, one of the leaders sent out an email saying that the older children were going to be in with the moms because they were going to work together to make healthy snacks. Thankfully, when they found out I was doing the Easter story, they decided to use the next age group below my class for the snack demonstration.
Now comes the best part of the story.
My church congregation has members who had developed a ministry to the Japanese people in our area. They met at the same time as MOPS, and their children were welcomed in MOPS childcare. On the 14th, the lady who heads up the ministry (she and her hubby were missionaries in Japan for several years) brought a Japanese lady and her daughter to my class. The lady, who had lived in our area for 3 weeks, was interested in the MOPS program. However, her daughter spoke no English and so she decided to stay in our class until she made sure the little girl was comfortable. A little while later, they brought another Japanese mother and her daughter, with pretty much the same story except that this mother spoke very limited English.
The children decorated their baskets with stickers, and then I had them sit in the floor in front of me as I told the story of Jesus’ suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection. I could hear the Japanese mother translating the story to the children and her friend. When our class was over for the day, the two moms thanked us and went to join the rest of the Japanese ministry’s group (their meeting lasts longer than MOPS).
After all the children left, I went to the kitchen to clean up some of the mess from our “Resurrection Rolls” snack. Another lady who works with the Japanese ministry came into the kitchen and asked me if the Easter basket was my idea. I admitted that it was, and through her tears, she told me what a blessing it had been. She was to give the devotion that day, and had not decided how she would tell the Easter story. As she began talking about Easter, one of the girls that had been in my class declared, “I thought Easter was all about bunnies and eggs, but it isn’t. It has a meaning!” She proceeded to use her REAL Easter basket to tell the story, one she had never heard before that morning, to the rest of the group.
As the lady told me about what had happened, she kept saying what a blessing the little baskets had turned out to be. Needless to say, I cried the rest of the afternoon. I kept thinking of how the Lord had worked things out, because there were so many things that tried to interfere. I still get choked up when I think of what happened.
While I was telling the story, I was handing out the items for the baskets as I went along. When I handed out the nails, which were aluminum roofing nails, the children were fascinated because they were real nails. One little boy in particular seemed to be stuck on the fact that he had real nails. He was so excited, saying that he was going to tell his dad and they were going to use the nails to build something. I thought that was 3-year-old Luke’s whole focus.
The next MOPS day, when Luke’s mom brought him in, she asked me if the Easter baskets were my idea. I admitted that they were, and she proceeded to tear up. She informed me that Luke could tell the story of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection using his Easter basket. Her gratitude overflowed into tears of joy as she stated what a blessing she had received from her son.
I do not know how many times God has used the idea He gave me to be a witness to others. I do know that I have been blessed to present it and it is such an encouragement to realize that when we are faithful in the little things, there can be a far-reaching effect.
This has been long, and I do not usually write such long devotions, but I really felt like I needed to share this story. I hope it blesses your heart as it has mine.
“To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, NASB
Added March 21, 2015…
I failed to mention another mother from several years before when I worked with MOPS at a different church…
Her son could be a holy terror in class and she knew it. I was all the time reprimanding him for getting into some sort of trouble. She always asked how he had behaved and expected a truthful report. However, the day we made the baskets he paid much more attention than usual.
When the next MOPS meeting rolled around, the little guy’s mother informed me that she needed to tell me about Corey’s basket. His dad was a fireman and had to work Easter Sunday. His family visited him at the fire station and Corey took his basket with him. He then proceeded to tell the Easter story to everyone at the station. As she related this to me, the mom dabbed tears from her eyes. She declared that anyone there who did not know about Jesus’ resurrection knew it now through the witness of her son.