Latest / The Call to Women in Faith Podcast / The Smurfs

Transcript

The Smurfs · The Call to Women in Faith Podcast

• 0:00
  This year, I decided to help out with a kids' club at my church.
• 0:03
  It is an outreach to kids in the community.
• 0:07
  They have fed dinner, and the evening is filled with fun activities and Bible stories.
• 0:12
  The organizers and volunteers have successfully brought kids to Jesus through this program.
• 0:19
  Almost all of us love kids. This was an easy avenue for me, going to serve the
• 0:26
  Lord through the kids. So I signed up.
• 0:29
  Little did I know how rewarding it would be. I do not want to muddle my message
• 0:34
  by listing out all the ways in which this has been a blessing to me.
• 0:38
  But I do want to highlight one blessing that has a deep message,
• 0:43
  one which all of us can use.
• 0:46
  For me to convey this message, I will have to reference individuals.
• 0:51
  But I need to conceal their identity, so I'm going to call the family the Smurfs.
• 0:56
  No, they're not short blue people.
• 1:01
  The reason I'm calling them the Smurfs is one day I gave Smurfette,
• 1:06
  the star of this article, a big blue candy, and somehow half her face turned blue.
• 1:12
  And a mom took one look at her and said, you look like a Smurf.
• 1:16
  So this story is about Smurfette, her papa Smurf, her mama Smurf,
• 1:22
  and her little sister Smurf.
• 1:26
  Smurfette turned five this year. She is a sweet, shy girl.
• 1:31
  She somehow mustered enough courage to take my hand and join her group on the first day of Kids Club.
• 1:38
  Over the weeks, we have grown closer.
• 1:41
  At church after Thanksgiving service, she gave me a hug and said,
• 1:46
  I am thankful for you. I was moved.
• 1:50
  How does this little kid know what it means to be thankful?
• 1:55
  In the following weeks, Papa Smurf told me that Smurfette talks about me all
• 2:00
  the time, and Mama Smurf told me that I am her person.
• 2:04
  Old me would have thought, of course, I'm so cool.
• 2:08
  I smell good, my clothes are chic, my shoes are awesome.
• 2:13
  But Jesus would not let me go down that path of prideful sin.
• 2:18
  He showed me why I was special to Smurfette. I took a closer look at her family.
• 2:25
  There are two generations of church-going, Jesus-loving individuals that are
• 2:32
  influencing Smurfette.
• 2:34
  She does not talk much, but when she hears questions about God,
• 2:39
  she says things like, Jesus died on the cross for me. God loves us.
• 2:44
  God protects us. It is sometimes hard to have this kid say thank you or please.
• 2:50
  But when it comes to Jesus, she will not miss a beat.
• 2:54
  She knows who he is and what he did for her.
• 2:59
  The fact of the matter is that we as individuals pick up and absorb,
• 3:04
  we become, what we are because of our surroundings.
• 3:09
  I do not know much about the Smurfs, and I am sure that they have their fair share of problems.
• 3:17
  But what I see is a loving family, grandparents that are engaged,
• 3:23
  a Papa Smurf that loves and adores his wife and children, a provider and protector.
• 3:29
  When he comes to church on Wednesday nights, it looks like he had a long, hard day at work.
• 3:36
  But he's ready, ready to support his community with his family in tow.
• 3:42
  Papa Smurf and Mama Smurf served the kids of the community.
• 3:47
  Their love for the Lord is apparent. Papa Smurf hopped on stage one day to ask
• 3:52
  us to take down names of some kids they were working with, and he told us to pray for them.
• 3:59
  There was authority in his request. A few weeks later, one of the kids we were praying for was saved.
• 4:07
  Mama Smurf often sings about Jesus and his love for us.
• 4:13
  When she is headed down the aisle to sing, Papa Smurf shows his support by whistling at her.
• 4:19
  One may think it is not something to do in church, but what I see is his admiration for his wife.
• 4:26
  He has eyes only for her.
• 4:29
  And likewise, Mama Smurf talks about Papa Smurf and smiles. She sounds smitten by him.
• 4:37
  They've been together for many years.
• 4:39
  They're off to celebrate their 20th anniversary at the place they met.
• 4:45
  Smurfit's ability to love others and talk about Jesus with confidence is a testimony of the fruit.
• 4:53
  The Smurfs love our Lord. They love each other.
• 4:57
  They love their family. They honor their parents and serve their community.
• 5:03
  All this is apparent through how their kids are turning out.
• 5:07
  Loving, generous, and a joy to be around.
• 5:12
  Quote, Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old,
• 5:18
  he will not depart from it. End quote.
• 5:22
  Proverbs chapter 22, verse 6.
• 5:26
  What can this young couple teach us? They teach us to have Jesus as our center.
• 5:32
  Be the salt. No matter what you teach, make it revolve around what Jesus did for us. Be the light.
• 5:40
  Let the love of our Lord reflect in your actions, words, deeds,
• 5:45
  and your responsibilities.
• 5:47
  Be generous with your time and effort.
• 5:50
  Give like someone's life depends on it.
• 5:54
  Dear God, bless the Smurfs and guide them through the trials and tribulations
• 5:59
  of life. May their life be filled with the joy they spread.
• 6:03
  Guide them to bring you glory now and always. Amen.