Matt. 18:3 And verily I say unto you, except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.
Vision loss brought my teaching special education to a halt, but some of my beliefs transferred to parenting.
In my mind, parents should be the authority figure, should teach their children and discipline them. They had the added benefit of truly showing love that a teacher did not.
I believed I was to train my children in the ways of the Lord – not them train me. That was why I was surprised when my youngest taught me three lessons before turning six.
- A simple smile is a powerful gift we can give every day.
- Don’t fear evangelizing. Be bold.
- Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit.
The Gift of a Smile
The gentle breeze filled with the smell of salt and fish, blew across my face as my husband held my hand in his, and our youngest baby in his other arm. He was ensuring one of my dreams came true by strolling along Daytona Beach.
A slender woman in shorts and a round-neck white cotton shirt approached us. Her tanned face and weathered skin had a few wrinkles. As our eyes met, we greeted her.
A grin broke out on her face as she paused and said, “What a cute baby. She’s smiling at me.” Her hand reached out to tickle her neck. How old is she?”
“Ten months,” we said in unison.
The woman’s fingers slid down our precious daughter’s small arm, placed the tiny hand in hers, then squeezed it before leaving.
We chuckled. It’s always nice to have someone take notice of your baby.
A few moments later, we unexpectedly ran into her again.
She stopped and her sweet voice said, “I must tell you how much Her smile meant to me. She made my day.”
Her eyes filled with water as they darted over to our babies. “You see My husband and I have walked this beach for exercise every day since we retired. He passed away two weeks ago, and this sweet thing’s bright smile was just what I needed today.”
Don’t Fear Evangelizing
Renting office space from a print shop connected by a hallway, our then three-year-old girl loved to sneak out every time she heard their doorbell ring, signifying a customer had entered.
She would round the corner with a smile on her face, and immediately ask the customer, “Do you go to church?”
One day, the customer was a pastor. He bent over to pat her head. “That is so nice of you to ask. I wish all my church members would follow your lead.”
I hadn’t been surprised at her asking this as her dad and I were bi-vocational pastors. She had heard this question asked in every store we entered and when knocking on doors.
What did surprise me was what she asked next.
The next time he returned, she greeted him with a harder question, “Are you going to heaven?”
Shocked, my breath caught, and I was unsure how to react.
For a few months, she asked the same question to more customers than I could count.
It was no wonder she led a friend to salvation in fourth grade.
Be Sensitive to the Holy Spirit
Headed to Texas for a funeral as most leaves had already fallen off of trees, our mostly shy five-year-old daughter sat in the back. With my limited vision, we had taught her to grab our hands as soon as she got out of the car.
Safety when you are a visually impaired parent is a necessity.
Parking at the motel, I opened her door. Instead of grabbing my hand, she ran towards a strange man who pulled up nearby.
Panic, anger, confusion, all flooded me, but she returned, and we went inside.
Unsure what to do, I had her guide me to the restroom for a chat. Her dad could go ahead and get our room this way.
Angry, we both had to take care of business first. In adjoining stalls, my rage wanted to be unleashed, but knew it would backfire. Curiosity lurked in the background.
Before deciding what to do, words escaped. “Why did you run away to a stranger?”
Timidly, she responded, “to give him a hug.”
“Did you think he was someone you knew?”
“No, Mommy.” A short pause followed, ending in a sigh. “He just looked like he needed a hug.”
Still baffled, I decided to drop it until we were alone in our room with her dad.
Back in the lobby, my husband, Steve, introduced me to a nice couple about twenty years older than us.
The man lowered his gaze to Leslie. “Thank you for your hug, young lady. Made my day.”
Lifting his eyes, he turned his face toward us. “You see, we lost our granddaughter last Christmas. She was six and looked almost identical to your daughter. She was very special to us, and we miss her greatly. How old is she?”
Goose bumps popped out, like a bad case of chicken pox. All I could think was how in the world could she tell his pain so quickly and be willing to take such a risk since cautiousness could be her middle name.
Never too Old to Learn
I had to put aside pride and receive these three lessons my young daughter taught me. We are never too old, or too smart to learn from a child.
Even though my daughter dealt with anxiety, often mistook for shyness, she was happy. She came out smiling.
Her shyness didn’t prevent her from witnessing – not even to pastors. Much later I learned of several church leaders who had not yet accepted Jesus into their hearts, but were going through the motions, doing what was expected of them.
My sensitivity to the Holy Spirit has improved, but not to the standard she set that special day.
These lessons enlightened me to what Matt. 18:3 says. Will you join me to become like little children?
Learn what they can teach you from this day forward. They truly understand the faith spoken of in my book, Faith Illustrated, which you can buy here.
© 2023, Jena Fellers. All rights reserved.
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