One morning a couple of weeks ago, I sat by myself in a Chick-fil-A restaurant and witnessed a disturbing exchange. Just a few tables from me a father raised his voice toward his teenage daughter, “You don’t believe there’s a drink called a ‘Shirley Temple’? Do you think I’m lying to you? How dare you question your father!” With her back to me, the blond haired girl quietly pleaded, “Dad, you’re embarrassing me.” With a louder voice he yelled, “Yes I’m embarrassing you and you deserve it!” And with that he stormed out of the restaurant, went to his car, and smoked a cigarette. My heart went out to this young teenager. Left alone, she turned around to see who was watching. Our eyes met and all I could think to say was, “It’ll be OK.”
It is the faces of the children in Haiti that impact us most as we watch the news. We want to tell them, “It’ll be OK,” but deep down we wonder. We see volunteers from many nations holding children in their arms and we wish we could do the same. We see parents holding the hands of their own children and we long to help. Of course Haiti is not the only country with multitudes of hurting children.
So what do we do? Treasure the children in your own home. Be kind to the children in your own neighborhood and in your own city. Give to the hurting in foreign lands. Care for the orphans. Offer a cup of cold water in Jesus’ name. Ask to understand God’s heart for children and listen carefully to Jesus’ words. Love, love, love… and remember ‘love’ is an action word.
“At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: ‘I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come! … See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.’” Matthew 18:1-10
“And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.” Matthew 10:42