Heart of a Child

...but Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven." -Matthew 19:14

 Last night Alyssa and I were blessed to spend time with the sweetest batch of cookies- er, kids- you've ever seen. Such cuties! And they don't even realize it.

These six kids live in a technically two bedroom apartment whose rooms are barely big enough to squeeze in a bunk bed, twin bed, two wardrobes and couch. The kitchen isn't long enough to lay down in, let alone have a table, and the bathroom is just big enough. Not only that, but they haven't had electricity in... well, I'm not sure how long. So these kids don't have TV, computers, or gaming consoles to entertain them. But do they mind that they have to play by candle light? They don't seem to.

In the short two and a half hours we were there, the kids were so happy. They ran around playing a pretty much impossible game of hide and seek with Alyssa (I became the hiding place for one of them), colored with crayons that were so hard to see in the dim light that we used my cell-phone, played a word game and Mancala tournament, and then eventually all but two fell asleep to a fairy tale book. And in the midst of it all, I paused mid-play to hear the sweet sound of a three year-old singing a few choruses from songs he had heard at church.

What was important to that little kid? Was he grumping over not being able to see by the light of that dim candle? Was he thinking about a cartoon he wasn't able to watch or a toy his brothers were playing with but he wasn't? No. He wanted to sing to Jesus. He just wanted to enjoy the gift of my sister's friendship that God had given him that night.

At that time Jesus declared, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children;" -Matthew 11:25  

Jesus wants us to be like that little boy: innocent, trusting, and joyful in Him. How little do I find myself living like him! How often my pride pushes in on my joy and clobbers it over the head! How often I let my surroundings rob me of trust in God's providing hand.

Think about everything that is wrong in your life right now, then think about that little boy who has barely any toys or books, no electricity, lives with his brothers and sisters in a tiny apartment, and sometimes goes to bed with a growling tummy.

Why are you not trusting?