2 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. – Matthew 18:2-4
Recently, our caregiver’s son put together a service project for their church, and he excitedly included my four-year-old daughter. They made notes inviting people to donate for a contactless food drive, dropped them off in their neighborhood, and then went back to collect the food off neighbors’ porches. This went on for about a week.
My daughter came home every afternoon wanting to write more notes to give to people to get them excited about the drive too.
As a mom, I was anxious. Not about walking the neighborhood. They went with our amazing caregiver. I was worried that people would ignore their carefully crafted notes, people wouldn’t donate, and the kids would go for their pick-up day only to be disappointed. Yes, I recognize this is pessimistic. But my concern went beyond this particular drive.
These kids found their fire through service. They were exuberant, confident, and proud of their work. I did not want anything to disappoint them, dampen their zeal for helping others, or cause them to question the power of our Almighty God.
Thinking about it now, I was the one questioning. I was dwelling in a human-centric mentality, wallowing really, expecting to be disappointed. How often do we find ourselves here? Especially in these times. I don’t know about you, but I, unfortunately, am disappointed in people a lot lately. I wonder how difficult it is to stop debating the efficacy of masks and face shields and just to put one on for the betterment of our common man hoping that we’re doing some sort of good. I lament that we’ve stooped to talking about rights rather than caring about our neighbor.
This service project reminded me, though, to look to our children. Follow their lead. Match their zeal. These kids did not once question that people would donate. They expected it. And people came through. They collected a trunk full of food with grins on their faces, and they’re eager for their next project.
As kids head back to school (virtual, in-person, hybrid or otherwise), may we remember to look to them. They will again demonstrate their resilience, persistence, and positivity going through these current challenges. May we adopt that child-like spirit always, not allowing the world to make us cynical.
Emalee Sugano
Lord, thank you for our children. Their spirits continue to bring joy and positivity through all of our challenges. May we follow their lead, experiencing you in the simplest of ways. Show us your path to protect, honor, and bless your smallest creations.