Every Sunday, I come home from church blessed and filled with joy by the little angels I teach, God’s children. Hank and Nat are two of my youngest, both adorable, enthusiastic, music-loving children. Hank has an impish grin and an equally impish sense of humor. Precocious Nat has dimples and loves nothing better than donning bumblebee wings and flying off on the antique horse Pete to wherever her big imagination takes her.

Every opportunity he gets, Hank dashes to the toy chest to grab a small plastic guitar and sing his version of his favorite songs. Deep and Wide used to come out “Dee and wi” but has now progressed to recognizable snatches of the actual song. He listens intently to all music, including the songs performed by the choir. His favorite choral song is Step into the Water.His grandmother tells the story of how he jumped into a mud puddle she had told him was off limits—and got by with it because he grinned at her and sang, “Step into the water!” Nobody can resist his smile and his unbounded enthusiasm!

Natalie loves wearing sparkly shoes and fancy dresses, and if you ask her to lead the children in a song, she marches to the corner of the room and belts out one of the many songs in her repertoire. This little songbird superstar-in-the-making does not remain still, either. She’s into the song, moving her tiny feet and pointing her forefingers to her dimples when she sings, “If you’re happy and you know it, then your smile will surely show it…” She mesmerizes all of us, particularly Hank who inches ever closer to her, fascinated and smiling. 

Both Hank and Nat, as young as they are, sit obediently in their little chairs, listening to stories from the Children’s Bible. They particularly love it when I do voices. A big, thundery one for Goliath. Deep, growly ones for the Bible’s other villains. Nat usually sits patiently through the entire story because she’s eager to get to the craft part of the class where she gets to use colors, glue, and as many stick-on glittery pieces as she can get her tiny hands on.

Hank sometimes has busy-boy things on his mind, particularly the front of the Children’s Bible which pictures animals going two-by-two into the ark. Long before he could talk, he loved to climb into my lap or lean against my knee, take my one of my fingers in his little hand and point it to an animal. I would pause in the Bible story, turn to him and say, “Lion. Grrr,” then go on with the story. There were usually several more pauses where I had to name the other animals and make up sounds for them. No matter what I did, he was delighted and rewarded me with the sweetest little smile this side of Heaven.

My co-teacher Donna and I consider our class a success if we can teach the children that Jesus loves them and that they love Him, too.  “Who loves Jesus?” I’ll ask them, and they all raise their hands and shout, “Me! Me!” Donna and I do this often so that thinking of God becomes second nature to them. 

We’re doing a study of Moses now, and I always start the lesson by saying, “Who are we studying?” Sometimes one of my six-year-olds will answer “Moses.” But I will hear all these other little angels shouting, “Jesus!” or “God!” 

My answer to all of them is, “You are right! The answer is always God. He is always there. Everywhere. All the time.”  

God is good.

Peggy Webb