Through the Eyes of a Child

I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. (Luke 18:17)

This morning, my husband, daughter and I joined my in-laws for an annual tradition on the Saturday before Christmas. My in-laws' church provides food baskets and gifts to numerous individuals and families in the Middletown area. Our duty in this annual endeavor is to transport these items to the families' homes. For the past five years, I have not participated, opting to stay home with our daughter instead. This year, however, we felt it was time for six year-old Sarah to join in.

For those who know Sarah, she is a calm, kind-hearted child with a steel trap mind. She is exquisitely observant of nearly all things in her surroundings, so I took some time before heading out this morning to prepare her for what she would see. I knew that she had never encountered living conditions like what she'd see today, and I didn't want her to "comment" about her observations in front of the folks we would meet. I knew that she would not say anything mean-spirited, but I feared comments such as, "Where's your furniture?" I encouraged her to think - but not speak - about the things she would hear and see, to ponder how fortunate she is to have what she has.

Sarah did not keep her comments to herself, but her chattiness was, to my surprise and delight, nothing to be feared. For every person and place we encountered - some extremely humble - she never failed to find and celebrate a common thread. One home had a dog that reminded her of one in our neighborhood. One apartment had a Christmas tree similar to ours. One elderly lady had a cane that reminded her of her great-grandma's. Regarding the people themselves, she said things such as, "Did you see her pajama pants? They had cats on them. I LOVE cats!"

At the end of the day, Sarah declared herself the ultimate ham-carrier (that was her job on our deliveries), and she had so much fun she wanted to do it again. Not even in the privacy of our own car or home did she offer comments of shock or disbelief at the things she had seen. She went about her merry way, playing and laughing as usual, as if this morning had been just another trip out the door with Mom and Dad.

I'm not too proud to say that my daughter humbled and convicted me to the core today. Every year, these basket deliveries leave me feeling happy to have helped, but sad for those who live in such poverty. I try to imagine what life must be like in such conditions, and it brings tears to my eyes. My daughter reminded me, however, that so long as God is part of the picture, it's all about perspective. Regardless of our living conditions, we are all loved and accepted by our Father in heaven.

Each of us is a child of God...sometimes we just need to remember to think like one.