5 Life Lessons from VBS

by: Melanie Moore

Here in the south where I live, Vacation Bible School (or "VBS"), is a very big deal! For as long as I can remember, kids have gathered at area churches during the summer months to have fun, make crafts, and learn about the love of God. Today I'm sharing some of the life lessons I learned during VBS that still ring true today!

1. The Gospel is not complicated

Many times, we try to make the Gospel -- or the Good News of Jesus Christ -- much more complicated than it needs to be! VBS was a great time to focus in on the Gospel and explain it in a way that children could understand. God loved the world so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to willingly offer His life on the cross as a sacrifice to pay for all of our sins. If we believe in Jesus, we have His free gift of eternal life!

2. God's love is for every person 

During VBS, we met kids from different churches, schools, neighborhoods, and backgrounds. We loved having fun together during games and laughing together. As adults, do we rob ourselves of this joy by erecting boundaries of who is welcome in our church circle? God's love is for every single person, and we want them all to join us in the joy of knowing Him!

3. Meeting physical needs can help us meet spiritual needs

I can't think about VBS without thinking about hot dogs, little store-brand Oreo cookies, and Kool-Aid. Simply writing out those words makes me hungry... Often, we want to share the Gospel with others, but we overlook that if our neighbors have physical needs like hunger, it's very hard for them to hear about God's love for them. By helping meet physical needs, we can be God's hands and feet, lovingly serving those around us. This can, in turn, help us have conversations about spiritual needs. 

4. Music and art can be acts of worship

Music in VBS is loud and rowdy with lots of hand motions, clapping, and stomping of feet. Art in VBS is a total mess of finger paint, glue, and (my all-time favorite) glitter that can never be cleaned up. However, in the middle of the loudness and mess, there is the beautiful sight of children worshiping through song and arts. It brings tears to my eyes to think of the angels singing along with the sweet, sincere voices of little kids during VBS. I believe their songs touch the heart of God in a special, pure way.

5. Children are close to the heart of God

Jesus often spoke about the little children, and I believe God uses children to teach us how to approach the Gospel with childlike faith. I accepted Christ as my Savior as one of those kids during VBS many years ago, and I will always be thankful for the faithful workers who served that week in VBS. If you are working in VBS, you are making a difference! Thank you for your time in reaching the hearts of these little children!

 but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them,

for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” ~ Matthew 19:14 (ESV)