Showing Up
Showing up was the hardest part for me. Working a job with long hours, sometimes I left the office on Wednesdays knowing I’d have to get back to the grind after Reading Circle. I was hesitant to sign up to be a mentor initially for that very reason. How would I make time for this? I actually went so far as to confirm I would not be returning as a substitute or a full-time mentor, right before God tugged on my heart to remind me that He could multiply my time and would use time sacrificed for His Kingdom for my good and His glory.
In January of 2021, I met Parfaite who would be my mentee for the next year and a half. Parfaite had no trouble showing up. In fact, she was one of the first students to arrive each week, always there and always on time. That didn’t mean she would be eager to read, nor did that mean she’d be very keen to talk to me. For the first few weeks, she didn’t share much. She would eye me uncertainly as we read the Bible and worked through vocabulary together, but she always showed up.
Admittedly, I was less consistent and timely in my attendance than Parfaite was, but as I kept showing up, she slowly opened up. We’d eventually laugh together as she shared stories about her school days, and she’d tell me about how she wanted to read Harry Potter and how she loved swimming in the summer. We’d learn new English words and practice multiplication, celebrate birthdays and holidays, read Bible stories and pray. Sometimes reading The Jesus Storybook Bible would bring tears to my eyes as we’d learn or be reminded of the simplest and purest truths about our God. He is the Good Shepherd, Good Father, and Lover
of our Souls. He wants us to talk to Him every day. He died to know us. He can do more than we can ask for or imagine. He can handle our doubts and questions. He always listens.
In those moments, reading aloud these beautiful truths with Parfaite, I never regretted my decision to commit time to Reading Circle. I never wondered if it was worth it, because time with God and time spent getting to know His children always is.
I don’t know how much of what we read Parfaite fully understood or believes. I don’t know how much about me or our time she’ll remember after I move to a new city. I don’t know what seeds were planted that might one day grow into fruit. But I do know that I’ll never regret my time with Parfaite or the lessons God taught me through her, and I hope and pray she never forgets the truth about who He is.
Showing up for others and sacrificing our time can be hard, but God has taught me how worthwhile it always is. When we hesitate and hold back, God can find someone else to do His Kingdom work, but I don’t want to miss out on what He’s doing. When we show up, He uses time devoted to Him for our good and His glory, and He gives us glimpses of how powerful and beautiful He really is.
“How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him? And how can they hear without a preacher? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.” Romans 10:14-15 CSB
Written by: Kassidy Post