Babysitting for the Gospel
On Thursday mornings, a group of women gather in church for the Cathedral Women’s Bible Study, many of whom are mothers with little children. There is a supervised crèche where two or three people babysit those children. One of them is Farshid Rezaee who shares his experience.
Taking care of children on Thursday mornings is one of the highlights of my week! I consider it a great privilege to take care of these children and serve in this area because it enables mothers to engage in Bible study without having to think constantly about the safety of their kids.
I have been doing this for almost six years. It has been a challenging, humbling and encouraging learning experience. Children are precious gifts from God created in His own image. During the two hours of babysitting, I see instances of kindness, cooperation, and love, but I also see instances of jealousy, anger, and greed. I see children helping one another and comforting a child who is missing his dad and mom and I also see them fight over a toy or even territory (“half of this room is mine!”). The exact behavior and sentiments you also witness in adults!
Crèche is a small model of the outside world. It is impossible to spend time with children and not see the impact of sin on their nature in the same way we see that impact on us. You can easily see that when, out of love and concern, you refuse to let them have a toy that might not be suitable for their age and they react by crying and refusing to talk to you! Sounds familiar. Doesn’t it? Children treat us adults in the same way we have treated our Heavenly Father and that reminds us of the fact that children are as much in need of the Gospel as us. We should also remember Jesus’ emphasis on the necessity of having a childlike faith. Babysitting children shows you many real examples of that.
If you are wondering what you can do to help, here are some suggestions:
- You can pray for those who help with the crèche.
- You can help with the cleaning of the crèche.
- You can donate toys that your children no longer use and which are in good condition.
- You can let the Church know that you are happy to be contacted to help out with the crèche.