Are you smarter than a 5th grader?

Recently I was asked to speak to the 5th grade class at my church about why and how I got into fulltime ministry. Naturally, being in a pregnancy center the discussion would at some point need to discuss babies and life in the womb. I was a bit nervous as I do better with teens and adults on this topic. Yet here I was, in a room with 5th graders.

Their Bible verse was Gen. 1:27 which was perfect for me to launch from. We started by discussing God as author and creater of all life and how humans (male and female) are the only life that God created in His image.

We discussed how special that is and that no matter how big or small we are that doesn't change that fact. I asked them if they could think of any times in the Bible when they remember it talking about someone while they were still in their mother's womb and not even born yet. They were awesome! Of course Jesus came up first but then others also were shared (even Jacob and Esau). I kept waiting for someone to say John the Baptist and eventually someone did. So I was able to talk about when Mary was pregnant with Jesus and went to visit her cousin Martha who was pregnant with John the Baptist.

I'm on a roll at this point because I was so excited that they were able to provide the answers I was hoping for. But this one little girl just kept her hand up and was going "ooo, ooo, ooo". I had hoped if I kept talking she would stop but she didn't so I said "yes?" She said "Don't you mean Elizabeth, NOT Martha." To which I laughed and said, "Yes, I absolutely mean Elizabeth. Thank you for helping me."

Guess I better not apply to be on the show "Are you smarter than a 5th grader?"