Let the Children Come...

I was impacted the other day by a couple stories involving children from church:

One girl was extremely excited about her upcoming birthday. She had been talking about it for weeks. Apparently you couldn't see her without hearing that this special day was approaching. Her mother began talking with her about having a birthday party with five of her friends. But this soon to be seven-year-old didn't have a typical request. She told her mom that she wanted to invite five kids she didn't really know so that they all could become friends with each other. I marveled at the wisdom of this six-year-old. All this talk about being missional, living our lives as reflections of Jesus, and sharing the love of God and the peace of Christ with those around us and it's a child who understands it better than many of us deemed "older" and "wiser" ever could!

The second story involved another girl similar in age. I don't know her full story but needless to say she's had some rough childhood years. She was a foster child recently adopted by a godly and loving family. Unfortunately not as many 7-8 year-olds with her history find themselves in the open arms of a new family with possibilities of new life, but she did. When the adoption was almost complete and the official paperwork all but finished, the mother asked this young girl if she would like to keep her old name or pick a new one. At this offer the girl's eyes lit up with excitement. "I've always wanted the name Morgan," she said. So with that, a young girl with the life experiences of many veterans received a new name appropriately represeting new possibilites, a new family, a new future and a new way of life!

Hmm, they may be children, but it looks a lot like gospel to me! May we learn to be like our children.