Valuable lessons learned from unexpected people

It always amazes me people who don't see their gifts and valuable thoughts. I was reading a friend's blog today. She did not feel completely worthy to give a sermon because she thought her faith was a phony faith. She then followed those words with some of the most beautiful and profound words of faith that I have read in a long time. They were written (and spoken) from her heart on such a personal level that they were truly beautiful.

Faith is an interesting thing.

from wikipedia -- Faith is the confident belief or trust in the truth or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing. The word "faith" can refer to a religion itself or to religion in general. As with "trust", faith involves a concept of future events or outcomes, and is used conversely for a belief "not resting on logical proof or material evidence. "Informal usage of the word "faith" can be quite broad, and may be used in place of "trust" or "belief."
Faith is often used in a religious context, as in theology, where it almost universally refers to a trusting belief in a transcendent reality, or else in a Supreme Being and/or this being's role in the order of transcendent, spiritual things.

One of the most interesting experiences doing children's sermon was when I served in a congregation in Illinois. Many times when giving children's sermon's I feel like I am speaking Greek. Either what I am saying doesn't make sense to them or they don't want to answer because they are scared or their parents said to be quiet in church. But this experience will always make me smile.

It was a new little boy, think he was 7 or 8, that I had not seen before. He was the only one that morning which is always a little awkward. I honestly don't remember what my lesson was about. I asked my first question and he immediately told me, "You know, you get to Jesus on a rocket ship." I was confused and at first thought he was just being silly. So, I continued with my lesson. He was insistent. "You have to get to Jesus by going on a rocket ship." I realized that I needed to respond. I said, "Oh really?" He responded, "Yes, you have to believe in Jesus and then you get to go on the rocket ship to be with Jesus. Jesus is way up high and that is how you get to him." It was at that moment that I understood his faith. It was an innocent understanding that he could put in concrete terms on his level. How could that be wrong?

After the service, his mother came up and apologized to me. I was confused and said, why the apology? She apologized for him being "disruptive" and explained that he was Asperger's Syndrome. She then humbly said that she would have him stay back if it was a problem that he be at Children's Sermon. I was taken aback by this. Yes, he had totally thrown my children's sermon off that morning. BUT...his understanding of faith and belief in Jesus was so innocent and so pure that it could never be wrong. He shared what he had felt at that moment needed to get out. I told the mother, please don't ever keep your child from children's sermons. I looked forward to him sharing his faith with me in the future.

People think that because people of ministry have more schooling, Theology degrees, Masters of Divinity, Doctorates, that we have to have all the answers. My degree in Theology must make me wiser in my faith. I realized that morning that that could not have been farther from the truth. Faith for me is such a personal thing. Faith and belief and the understandings of both are on such a personal level that they can't be "wrong" and need to be expressed on so many levels.

Hebrews 11:1 says "Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." The whole of chapter 11 talks about people with strong faiths that accepted what was before them to have faith in something far greater than themselves.

May we all understand that we are worthy to share our personal faith.
AMEN