Everybody has “life” going on around them, right? I know I certainly do! In fact, as I type these very words, my dad is at the Emergency Room, where they are running more tests on him to see what’s going on.

I work at a church preschool with thirteen other amazing ladies. All of these ladies also each have “life” happening, just like all of you have “life” happening around you.

“Life” includes all sorts of stuff like: parenting your kids while you’re also parenting your parents, selling a house, hurting when your kids hurt, awaiting test results, awaiting upcoming surgical procedures, having to travel, dealing with loved ones who are hurting, working through really tough emotions…you get the picture, I’m sure.

Due to the fact that each of the ladies I work with are also fellow moms and daughters, we each carry things on our minds that just go with those two titles.

BUT, let me share with you a beautiful thing that I see morning after morning. Each of these thirteen ladies die-to-self the moment those preschoolers walk in the building.

This is such a beautiful, wonderful, selfless thing, and I see it every. single. day.

Each morning, we begin our day in prayer. This morning, we began with reading in scripture, then entered into a time of prayer that brought tears. This is when I saw the Jesus-modeled action of dying- to-self. The ladies put all their life struggles that we had just laid at Jesus’ feet behind them, wiped the tears and placed big smiles on their faces as preschoolers made their way down the hall. As the sounds of “Good morning!”, “Hello there!”, “So glad to see you this morning!”, rang in my ears, I praised God.

I praised God for each of the thirteen ladies who love these kids like they love their own. It was a miraculous transformation from just the moments before. It was truly only what dying-to-self could do.

And, as only something you could do when you work in a preschool, we celebrated with a girl who pooped in the potty for the first time at preschool! It was quite the little celebration, and it’s exactly what makes me love my job! I mean, really, where else can you celebrate such an event?!

Lindsie, Megan, Emily, Erin, Kim, Christy, Kelly, Amy, Whitney, Jody, Katie, Kasey and Carol: I love you all. Thank you for showing Jesus to me day-in and day-out. You are each a treasure.

In the words of John the Baptist:
“He must increase, but I must decrease.” John 3:30

Lord, thank you for each of these ladies who “decrease” to make Your love “increase” to the little souls whom we are entrusted with each day. As “life” happens around us, please give us the discipline, strength, endurance to keep “decreasing”. For us to live as disciples, we must die to ourselves, our sinful nature, so that we can live IN You and FOR You.
Thank you for all the disciples everywhere who “decrease”. Lord, bless them and keep them, so that You may be glorified as You are absolutely deserving of all our praise, all our glory, all of US. Amen.