How does a preschooler know that God loves him? We can tell him that the Bible tells us so, but for a preschooler to truly know God’s love we need to express His love to the preschooler in concrete ways. In the book Upside-Down Devotion, Taylor Field says, “In this book, I will call specific acts of love for others service. In the world of the Bible, this service is the tangible expression of God’s love.”¹ You show God’s love in tangible ways to preschoolers many times during a Mission Friends^® session.

• When you smile or hug a preschooler as he comes in the room at the beginning of the session.

• When you sit with a preschooler as she works a puzzle or reads a book.

• When you smile as you give a bottle to a baby.

• When you have a conversation with a preschooler about his artwork.

• When you give a high five or fist bump to a preschooler who builds an awesome structure in Blocks.

• When you sing and clap hands with a toddler.

• When you calm a preschooler who becomes upset.

Listening is one of the skills that we try to teach preschoolers. We do all kinds of activities to help preschoolers develop their listening skills. We sing motion songs, clap rhythms, play listening games, and make rhythm instruments. Preschoolers listen to us as we tell stories, give instructions, or read books to them. We know that listening is important for preschoolers to learn as they grow and relate to others.

As much as we try to teach preschoolers about listening, it is a skill that we keep learning throughout our lifetime. As adults, we too must learn to listen in order to cultivate relationships with others. To get to know unbelievers so we can share our faith with them, we have to spend time listening. Think about the following two aspects about learning to listen.

My brother-in-law, Kyle, is the best at making connections with people. Within a few minutes of meeting someone, he will make the connection that he knows their great aunt’s cousin’s nephew. If he doesn’t connect through someone they know in common, he makes a connection through a common place by telling a story about someone he knew from the place where the person is from. Kyle seldom meets a stranger because he knows how to make these connections with people.

Paul talks about making connections and cultivating relationships with people in 1 Corinthians 9:22–23: "I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings." As we look to what it means to share Christ with the world around us, making connections with people is crucial. The connections we make are openings that lead to conversations, and our conversations can lead to sharing about Christ.

A new year brings thoughts about resolutions to eat better, exercise more, and get organized. Some people make New Year’s resolutions to get out of debt or do better at time management. Other people’s resolutions involve doing a specific task, such as walk 3 times a week. One friend resolved to try a new recipe every week. I knew another person whose New Year’s resolution was to read a book every month. I have a friend whose resolution 1 year was to run in a half marathon. She made it, too!

Many of our resolutions are about bettering ourselves, which is good. As this year begins, consider making a resolution about being involved with others in the world around you. What could you do this year to get to know the families of your Mission Friends better? It may mean stepping out to sit with a family at their preschooler’s T-ball game or taking a meal to a family with a new baby. Resolve to step out within your neighborhood to get to know families with preschoolers. You will have to be intentional about coming alongside people in order to get to know them and share your faith with them.