Children

“I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” – Matthew 18:3

Is it any surprise that Jesus Christ desires His people to become like the little ones? To them He has revealed things that the wise will never comprehend (Matthew 11:25).

One cannot escape the presence of a child. Had I had some forethought, or merely had formed this blog prior to this trip, I am positive this topic would have already been discussed. However, my estimation is that this is a topic that, provided extensive attention, would withstand exhaustion. That is because through becoming like a child, even to become born again, is a direct objective from our Savior.

So, as you may have gathered I have spent some time with children today. Your assumption is true, but if you have been following this blog at all you will know that a considerable amount of my time has been devoted to children.

Linda, Dr. Thom’s wife, is very connected to many schools, churches and families in Delhi, and through her various connections we have been able to make quite a few connections throughout my stay. My interactions with these children has lead me to the conclusion that while these are easily the poorest, least privileged group of individuals I have ever encountered, the children themselves are comparable to any other on this planet.

This is why I believe Jesus Christ draws from the little ones to illustrate the possession of His eternal promise. All people can relate to the nature of a child. A child, regardless of context (Delhi, Nairobi, College Station, or McAllen) shares in the same nature. I believe for most of you, I am not telling you anything original, just merely reinventing the wheel. But I do believe, this is a wheel worth making again, because this is a principal God’s children must continually be reminded to learn and apply to their own life.

At a school I visited last week full of orphaned girls, I saw a few aspects of deprivation. That is, the school was full of children that lacked the privilege of parents. They also lacked the comfort of their own living quarters, sharing narrow hallway-like rooms “accommodating” close to 30 girls in each room. As far as the school is concerned, it is hardly worth any praise at all. The school, built in 1927, once flourished with over 500 children and a full staff is now struggling to have over 100 girls and hardly any willing teachers. The land, once providing food and income is now barren. If one word were to properly define this school and its situation, I would choose “deprived.”

However, the tide is about to change for this school. The reason for our visit is a connection Linda had with a woman named Elka. I have mentioned her in a previous blog, and I plan on devoting some time to her story the future, for it is well deserving. She has a reputation of conquering situations such as these, providing and executing vision for in a situation where it is lacking (Proverbs 29:18)

So, I have stated my case as far as the deprivation of these girls is concerned. Yet upon our arrival, we were greeted with a 2-hour program in which they sang, danced, and prayed with us.

I would like to focus a bit on their worship. I experienced great blessing and great conviction by and through this. These girls loved to sing to the Lord. They could sing for hours, and on one occasion did, with incredible enthusiasm and energy. As I grew tired of standing and singing, I also became embarrassed at my lack of discipline and joy compared to these children. Even when permission was granted to sit while singing, after a few minutes the youngest of the girls stood up and began dancing in her own language as she continued to praise. There was no air-conditioning, so sleeping on the roof was by far best option for us that night. The only drawback: being woken up at 6 AM by these girls beginning their morning worship session. Incredible.

I must admit, it was in the praying that I was most moved. In these situations I tend to pray with my eyes open. I looked across the room and saw a room full of Indian girls, most no older than 8, with their hands clasped and eyes closed, learning what it looks like to seek God through prayer. Every time we met together, prayer was the first and last thing that occurred, and often prayer was placed within activities as well. And each time the same scene occurred, a complete stillness before the Lord. Again, it is the memory of the youngest of these children that causes my eyes to tear as I type these words. I saw her clasped hands rest gently on the brim of her mouth, and her eyes were gently closed. I have seen many nice things, but this was truly an object of beauty. 

You may be skeptical, proposing that these children are merely objects of strict training and discipline. If that is the case, praise the Lord! If only every child were trained in such things, learning from an early age how to pray and being exposed to the most intimate means God has given his children to seek him by.

Today, I was surrounded by children again. This time, the context was the slums of Delhi. When I look back at the first instance my heart was truly broken here, I will remember a scene I saw today. Although it involves a child, it is not overtly pertinent to the topic of this blog. So I will expand later, as it deals with the circumstance and issue of poverty in India, an issue I wish to discuss in more detail in the future. But what I want to focus on briefly are three lessons I learned today from these children: desire, teachability, and necessity.

There were a several boys who vied for my attention. At one point, they were actually wrestling in order to sit closest to me. Flattering, I know. What is more, we tried to leave the school a couple of times before we were successful because the children begged us to stay. Noticing this desire for our presence and proximity, is it any wonder that Jesus would insist that his followers become like little children?

The children kept asking for us to teach them. Anything. Songs, stories, dances, skits, our testimonies: they named it, and we taught it. And when we instructed, they listened. Where we told stories and our personal testimonies they listened intently, absorbing. I might add that these children’s English was limited, so there was an interpreter present to insure their understanding. Where we sang and danced, they imitated until they were able to do them on their own. Again, what an incredible eagerness and excitement that should be mirrored in a relationship with Christ!

Finally, I saw the necessity of a child today. As one child rushed over to me to grab my hand in order that I could help him with the craft he was making, I was reminded of my own inability. He could not tie a knot. And it is with the simplest facets of life that I am reminded of the dire necessity for Christ.  These children not only needed, but starved for love and attention. Apart from emotional and spiritual need, these children felt necessity in the most basic of ways: food, clothing, and shelter. Need was abundant today, and I will continue to notice its abundance throughout my stay here in India. There is no shortage of need and dependence when it comes to children, and neither is there with God’s children.