Bogard Press VBS Blog - Juice Boxes

“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” Colossians 3:17 

Imagine a simple juice box. The flavor could be any normal or radical flavor known to man. But that is not what matters. The whole point of a juice box is to be consumed by some child, while laughing and carrying on with their peers. Seems simple enough, doesn’t it? But the entirety of the thought is not just the drinking of the juice, but the conversations begun and the souls reached. 

But why a juice box? It’s not the juice as stated. Think of this. A young child stepping inside a church for the first time in his life, being invited by another young child, who has the Spirit of the living God residing in his heart. This child of the most high King has a drive in his heart and life to draw others to the One who saved his soul. The other child, who is completely new to anything church related, who is slightly timid at first, soon begins to feel at home in the VBS at the church to which he was invited. 

This child, who has no earthly idea that God loves him, is drawn to the conversations wrapped around the simplicity of a juice box at snack time. Those conversations may be the catalyst that brings them to the realization that his soul is in need of a Savior who loves him. These thoughts that are so perfectly manifested in his heart by the pulling of the Holy Spirit, come to fruition at the end of the week when he realizes he is lost and fully accepts Christ as his Savior.  

Those juice boxes are the delight of many, not for the color, or flavor or any of that, but for the memories they bring with them. These memories will forever be carved into the walls of the ever-growing hearts and minds of children. The words of life ingrained into them by the teachers who passionately make them recite their “memory verses” will live out in the same passion that they will have toward their own families and friends. 

That juice box comes full circle when this now one year old Christian, who has wholeheartedly lived for his Redeemer, brings another “first timer” to VBS to witness the power behind another conversation started because of the love given by the Heavenly Father. That love again works within that unsaved child, drawing him to that spiritual ultimatum of a life for Christ. Lives are forever changed when they accept the best gift anyone could ever offer. That decision breaks down the barriers between life and death and brings with it healing that only God can deliver. This deliverance of the pain of past and present brings young Christians the wholesome identity they need in Christ. 

So, to say that God can do anything, even using the most obscure of items such as a simple juice box, is an understatement. The simplicity that God can use is beyond my capacity to fathom. Think about it! The lives touched and the souls saved because of the conversations around a sugary, colored drink that we overlook should bring us to our knees in amazement of how great our God is! 

Michael Whitman