A Lifetime of Lessons That Still Teach Me
Insights From Vacation Bible School
What I Learned Between Cookies and Crafts
Looking back, I realize Vacation Bible School wasn’t just a summer memory — it was a seedbed.
Those simple days of glue sticks, Kool-Aid, and paper crosses were the quiet shaping ground of a faith that would outlast childhood.
Between spilled juice and silly songs, I learned truths that have taken a lifetime to grow roots:
That joy is holy.
That forgiveness frees.
That grace is messy and magnificent all at once.
That God shows up in laughter, friendship, and sometimes even in spilled paint.
And that the Gospel isn’t just taught — it’s caught through people who live it in front of you.
Miss Marla did that.
So did Ryan, Emily, Buck, Eric, Keisha, and every kid who somehow carried the image of Jesus in their ordinary ways.
Childhood Lessons, Grown-Up Truths
Now, decades later, I can see what God was really doing.
He was forming faith through moments that didn’t look spiritual at all.
A nap time became a lesson in trust.
A cookie line turned into a study on fairness and forgiveness.
A softball game taught perseverance and grace.
A missing friend taught the ache of love that lingers.
Every story had a seed — and the Spirit never stopped watering them.
I used to think spiritual growth was about becoming more impressive.
Now I know it’s about becoming more childlike.
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me… for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 19:14)
I think He meant that childlike wonder and trust are the soil where real faith grows.
Lessons That Still Hold True
If I could sum it all up, maybe it’s this:
Just show up. God meets us in presence, not perfection.
Rest when He says rest. Trusting is worship.
See others through grace. Everyone’s fighting a battle you can’t see.
Dance again. Joy is not childish — it’s divine.
Forgive freely. It’s how we live the Gospel out loud.
Never outgrow wonder. You can’t mature past love.
The classrooms have changed, the crafts have faded, but the lessons have only deepened.
I wish I’d paid better attention back then.
But I’m so grateful I get to now.
Reflection
What childlike lessons is God still teaching you in this season of life?
Where has He used something simple to reveal something sacred?
How can you live this week with the same wonder you had when you first discovered His love?
Prayer