This past weekend I filled in for a small group leader who was out of town. It was salvation weekend, so that meant I had a pretty good grasp of the subject to be covered.

After a clear gospel explanation and the opportunity to respond in large group, my small group—the third grade boys orange team—had a lively discussion about all they had just heard. Each boy then filled in a simple card while the music started for a time of celebration. As I gathered up all the small group supplies from our area, I looked through their response cards.

Each card asks kids to check a box beside one of three choices; 1) Today for the first time, I prayed to accept God's forgiveness for my sin and ask Him to be my Forever Friend, 2) God is already my Forever Friend, or 3) I want to think about it more.

Out of the 10 cards in my hand, the first nine checked the second box; already prayed before. But the tenth card had the first box filled in with a big swooping checkmark—the kind you make while you say, "Oh yeah!" I stopped walking. My hands tingled slightly. The sight of that checkmark went through my eyes, past my mind, and straight to my heart, causing my pulse to instantly double. I looked on the back of the card to see the name—Matt.

So I sat down next to Matt and asked him about checking the first box. "Sure did!" was his response. "It all just made more sense to me today than it ever has before." As long as I live, I will never get used to watching Jesus change lives, especially little lives.

I share this experience because my week leading up to Sunday was a bit rough. You, too, can probably recall a time or twenty when you thought, "Why am I doing this?" And probably more frequent than any will admit, ministry can slip into going through the motions—check off this to-do, check off that to-do, get ready for the weekend, repeat.

So Matt and his card delivered a timely reminder that children's ministry is really about reaching lost kids and teaching all kids about Jesus. No matter if weeks are good or not so good, real lives get changed and real eternities are secured. It's not about just getting stuff done and checking off boxes.

Or maybe it is—when the first box is checked.

Copyright © 2005 Promiseland.

Read more from 'Encouraging Words'

Words Kids Need to Hear To Help Them Be Who God Made Them to Be by David Staal If you could choose just seven statements to share with children, what would they be? Each chapter in this compelling book focuses on a single statement elementary-age kids need to hear from parents, children's workers, and other close adults. These seven statements are simple to share, yet guaranteed to profoundly impact children. They are: I believe in you. You can count on me. I treasure you. I'm sorry, please forgive me. Because. No. I love you. will educate, equip, and motivate parents and children's ministry teams to carefully choose words that building up kids' hearts, to say them frequently, and to do so in creative ways. What children hear from trusted adults significantly influences their self-image, their current relationships, and future relationships—including that all-important relationship with God.