Ever Have One of Those Nights?

Ever have one of those nights? You’ve done everything right, but everything seems to go wrong?

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Ok, this wasn’t the greatest night of Awana this year, but not because you weren’t prepared.

You were. You had spent most of Sunday afternoon putting together a Large Group lesson on Daniel. You coordinated the songs and even created a couple fun games that had to do with lions. You were ready to go.

And then Wednesday night came.

First, four leaders called in sick (that nasty flu is still making the rounds). Unfortunately Dan, one of those leaders, was your best music person. You can’t lead music. You can’t even keep a tune. A couple of your student leaders do an ok job, but not as great as Dan.

Then when you went to the storeroom to get the easel you needed for the lesson, you discovered the Cubbies director already had it set up in the Cubbies room because her own easel broke. That means you couldn’t display your visuals the way you planned and that took away from the lesson.

The kids arrive (none of them are sick) and immediately the place turns into chaos (because of the missing leaders). You do what you can and start a few minutes early to calm everyone down. Kaitlyn, one of your best-behaved clubbers, brought a friend and the two of them are in constant chattering mode. After gently asking Kaitlyn to quiet down 7 times, you separate the two. This makes both of them burst into tears.

During Game Time one of the clubbers caused a freak accident that could not be repeated even if you tried. She went to hand the baton to another clubber, but the baton went flying and hit a ceiling light at the exact right angle for an apparently already-loosened bulb to fall to the ground in a thousand pieces (and cutting two kids in the process). A leader took the two girls to a nurse (a Trek leader) and you made everyone else sit on the circle, absolutely still, while a couple leaders cleaned up the mess.

Finally … the evening crawled to an end – but not before the closing prayer … and not before Emma threw up all over herself and the two girls standing next to her (during that closing prayer).

Seriously? Could you have had a worse night?

We all have nights like that. We all have many nights like that. Because we live in a broken, fallen world where people get sick, details get messed up, batons hit lights … and our plans shatter into a thousand pieces.

Yes, the messed-up world affects our messed-up selves (that old, sinful flesh nature that is still part of us here on earth). Our messed-up selves react to the messed-up world by becoming discouraged, angry or ready-to-quit frustrated.

But in Christ we are new creations: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (1 Corinthians 15:7)

 God promises to renew (refresh) the spiritual, new-creation part of us everyday. So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. (2 Corinthians 4:16).

Yes, we all have bad days, but each day is a new day, refreshed by God’s love, grace, comfort, mercy, care, patience …

Do not lose heart.

Next week when the leaders are healthy, you get the easel, the light stays on the ceiling and Emma keeps her dinner down, you will look back and laugh about the crazy night …

Again … do not lose heart.