Matthew 19:14 (NIV)
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do
not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
This is a first-person account from a mother about her
family as they ate dinner on Christmas Day in a small restaurant many miles
from their home. Nancy, the mother, relates: We were the only family with
children in the restaurant.
I sat Erik in a high chair and noticed everyone was
quietly eating and talking. Suddenly, Erik squealed with glee and said,
"Hi there." He pounded his fat baby hands on the high-chair tray. His
eyes were wide with excitement and his mouth was bared in a toothless grin. He
wriggled and giggled with merriment.
I looked around and saw the source of his merriment. It
was a man with a tattered rag of a coat; dirty, greasy and worn. His pants were
baggy with a zipper at half-mast and his toes poked out of would-be shoes. His
shirt was dirty and his hair was uncombed and unwashed. His whiskers were too
short to be called a beard and his nose was so varicose it looked like a road
map. We were too far from him to smell, but I was sure he smelled. His hands
waved and flapped on loose wrists. "Hi there, baby; hi there, big boy. I
see ya, buster," the man said to Erik.
My husband and I exchanged looks, "What do we
do?" Erik continued to laugh and answer, ""Hi, hi there."
Everyone in the restaurant noticed and looked at us and
then at the man. The old geezer was creating a nuisance with my beautiful baby.
Our meal came and the man began shouting from across the room, "Do ya know
patty cake? Do you know peek-a-boo? Hey, look, he knows peek-a-boo."
Nobody thought the old man was cute. He was obviously
drunk. My husband and I were embarrassed. We ate in silence; all except for
Erik, who was running through his repertoire for the admiring skid-row bum, who
in turn, reciprocated with his cute comments.
We finally got through the meal and headed for the door.
My husband went to pay the check and told me to meet him in the parking lot.
The old man sat poised between me and the door. "Lord, just let me out of
here before he speaks to me or Erik," I prayed. As I drew closer to the
man, I turned my back trying to side-step him and avoid any air he might be
breathing. As I did, Erik leaned over my arm, reaching with both arms in a
baby's pick-me-up, position. Before I could stop him, Erik had propelled
himself from my arms to the man's. Suddenly a very old smelly man and a very
young baby consummated their love relationship.
Erik in an act of total trust, love and submission laid
his tiny head upon the man's ragged shoulder. The man's eyes closed, and I saw
tears hover beneath his lashes. His aged hands full of grime, pain and hard labor
- gently, so gently cradled my baby's bottom and stroked his back.
No two beings have ever loved so deeply for so short a
time. I stood awestruck. The old man rocked and cradled Erik in his arms for a
moment, and then his eyes opened and set squarely on mine.
He said in a firm commanding voice, "You take care
of this baby."
Somehow I managed, "I will," from a throat that
contained a stone. He pried Erik from his chest unwillingly, longingly, as though
he were in pain. I received my baby, and the man said, "God bless you,
ma'am, you've given me my Christmas gift."
I said nothing more than a muttered thanks. With Erik in
my arms, I ran for the car. My husband was wondering why I was crying and holding
Erik so tightly, and why I was saying, "My God, my God, forgive me."
I had just witnessed Christ's love shown through the innocence of a tiny child
who saw no sin, who made no judgment; a child who saw a soul, and a mother who
saw a suit of clothes. I was a Christian who was blind, holding a child who was
not, I felt it was God asking - "Are you willing to share your son for a
moment?", when He Shared His for All Eternity.
The ragged old man, unwittingly, had reminded me,
"To enter The Kingdom of God, we must become as little children."
What a great reminder for each of this Christmas season.
Keep your eyes open for the chance to show God’s love today.
Dear Lord, we thank You for the lessons we can learn from
children. We pray that our hearts would be like theirs as they show love. In
Jesus’ name, Amen.
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