Every morning we go to Hope Academy Nursery School. Jamie, Kaitlin, and I each take a classroom and I’m in charge of teaching the preschoolers- all 30 of them!

Preschoolers are messy, dysfunctional, high maintenance, and trouble. But they are also cute, funny, lovable, quick to show you love, full of energy, and in need of Jesus and God’s love just like the rest of us. Through the task of teaching them, God has been teaching me what showing His love to them looks like. Although I don’t find myself particularly good at wiping runny noses, calming toddler hysteria, teaching numbers, or keeping them from smacking the daylights out of each other, those are some of the forms God’s love takes on for these preschoolers.

Beautifully messy love.

So,those things are what I attempt to do. I have to accept that it may be chaotic and they may still write number four upside down at the end of the day, but it doesn’t really matter- as long as they feel God’s love.

Isn’t that the most important thing? God’s love. So many times I get caught up in the details. I want everything to be perfect. While it is important to create effective ministries, I’m learning to let go of this constant desire for perfection.

Nothing in this world will ever be perfect. But, God’s love is.

Let’s hold on to that.