During a recent message, my pastor made the point that Jesus was interruptible. He was never too busy to stop and talk to someone in need or to show compassion to the hurting or lonely. We see this with the woman who had the issue of blood (Luke 8); she reached out and touched Jesus while He was on His way to heal Jairus’ daughter, and He stopped right where He was to bless her. Again, in the story of the friends who lowered the paralytic through the roof, right in the middle of Jesus’ sermon (Mark 2). I’ve had some interruptions during my Bible Story time, but never anyone crashing through a roof! And multiple times, we see Jesus healing the masses despite His own exhaustion and hunger (Matthew 15).

As my pastor spoke, another story came to my mind—Jesus spending time with the children.

Mark 10:13–16

One day, some parents brought their children to Jesus so He could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering Him.

When Jesus saw what was happening, He was angry with His disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” Then He took the children in His arms and placed His hands on their heads and blessed them.

I can’t imagine all the items on Jesus’ to-do list each day, but He chooses to be interruptible and spend time on what matters most: people. Kids. Us. He was actually angry when the disciples tried to pull Him away from these little interruptions!

Sundays can be hectic—with classrooms to check on, kids to greet, volunteers to prep, and, without fail, a check-in printer to fix! Regularly, my 10-minute Bible Story stretches into 20 minutes because of all the interruptions from preschoolers wanting to share their connection to the story—and then the rabbit trails begin…

I confess my patience can wear thin, and I’ve missed many important moments in my rushing. One of my girlfriends jokingly refers to my Sunday morning persona as “Business Annie” because I’m so focused on the job at hand. It’s one thing for a friend to say this, she knows that on Sunday mornings my focus is Kids Ministry and we’ll meet later for coffee and a chat; but sometimes I’m afraid my volunteers or even kids might have this perception of “Business Annie” who doesn’t have time to look them in the eye, pray for a need, or fix a boo-boo with a Band-Aid. Lord, I’m sorry for the times I’ve been un-interruptible in Kids Ministry.

I’m sure a lot of Kids Pastors have experienced similar busy Sundays, and I hope this can be a good challenge for all of us: to slow down, embrace the interruptions, and trust the Lord with the details. Thank you, Jesus, for being patient and interruptible!

Annie Double has been the Director of Kids Ministry for the past 14 years at Judson Road Christian Church in Kokomo, Indiana. Annie loves traveling with her family, snuggling her little dog Charlie, & serving with the best team ever.