Do people come up to you and ask, "How did you get started in children's ministry?" "That is such a great and important ministry, how in the world did you ever get started?" No, very rarely does anyone ask you those kinds of questions. Now maybe if you were a famous singer, they would come up and ask you those questions. Or if you were a television evangelist, you would have people calling you on the telephone, and coming to you in person, saying, "How did you get started?”
I am sure there are some well known children’s ministers that do get asked how they became so successful. When people see great accomplishments, they think “I want to be like that and I want others to see me as successful too.” We all want to be noticed. But in the children's ministry you're not usually seen. The children come in, you have class and they leave. They're gone and some times a parent gives you a “thank you.” All the hard work you just put into the class is gone as they leave your room. Where did all the hard work go? What was the impact? You don’t know and truthfully you may never know. This is just the way it is in the children’s ministry. It truly is a faith ministry.
What really blesses me is when the children acknowledge me outside of the classroom. Sometimes as adults we say “hello” and greet people out of courtesy, but children seldom do that. When children say “hi” to you there is a genuine concern/value for you and what you mean to them. A student acknowledging me out of class is the best praise I can think of. I think Jesus feels the same way about us as his children.
We need to be careful about receiving praise though. I can recall a minister that when praised by people would only respond by, “Glory to God, praise God.” He wouldn’t even say “thank you.” He wanted to be sure to not take God’s glory. We can receive praise but it is like receiving an offering; we need to be mindful of whose money/praise it truly is. Be assured there is a heavenly reward that is gained. Getting attention from the King of Kings is so much more meaningful than getting the attention of others.