Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.
(Matthew 19:13-15)
Last night, I stayed in an apartment in a different part of Lima….a barrio that is socially and economically of a higher standard of living than San Juan de Lurigancho where I am living and working. I have to admit, it was like a retreat. I have only been living in San Juan for a week and a half, so I didn’t realize that the change of scenery would make such an impact on me. But it did. My bed is comfortable in San Juan, but this bed felt like heaven. The shower was hot and had strong, glorious water pressure, unlike ours that is lukewarm and trickles. I didn’t feel as conspicuous or alert walking on the street as I do in San Juan. People didn’t seem to stare at this gringa with blonde hair as much for some reason.
But, to be honest, I don’t notice these differences when I am living in San Juan. I simply live life and feel privileged to have a shower and a bed when others just a few minutes away often go without. So then, I have to ask myself, was the difference really the bed, the shower and the people, or was it the feeling of being back in “my element” in a socioeconomic sphere that I know so well? It’s easy to be in a place that makes me comfortable, where I “fit in.” But I don’t think that “fitting in” is necessarily where God calls me to be most of the time. I don’t think Jesus “fit in” to his time and culture. He was a revolutionary if there ever was one in Ancient Israel. And the people he ministered to sure didn’t fit in either. If there was ever a rag-tag group of people, it was those that Jesus sought out. They were the prostitutes, the crippled, the lepers, the adulterers, the tax collectors….even the dead (the sermon was on Lazarus today!). Jesus ministered to a beautiful rainbow of people who were not perfect and often were not accepted as full members of society.
In this rainbow of different people, one of the groups Jesus most loved was children. Children were not often valued in Ancient Israel. Many of my professors have often commented that to gain respect in traditional societies, both ancient and modern, gray hair is the key! The more years you bring with you, the more people tend to respect you. So in terms of age, children were not respected. In the passage above, when the children came to Jesus, the disciples rebuked those that brought them. But Jesus said to the disciples, “Let them come…the kingdom belongs to ones like these.” Why does the Kingdom belong to those who are like children? Is it because they see things that adults don’t see, through their innocence and their unhardened hearts? Is it because children are willing to give of themselves passionately and live with childlike wonder?
If innocence and childlike wonder are the reasons, then what do Kingdom-builders, those of us who seek real biblical transformation in our world, do with children who have been robbed of that innocence and childlike wonder? On my way home, three young street boys got on our bus. One of them began to play an instrument, which upon closer inspection turned out to be an old ridged aluminum can and a hair pick. (I guess imagination is something that ALL children have in common.) These three amigos then began to sing a repertoire of songs which no doubt they had sung on many days on many buses as they worked for a few soles (Peruvian money). The youngest one could not have been more than 5 or 6 years old. At hearing them begin to singing, I smiled because, after all, who doesn’t like listening to children sing? But as the littlest amigo turned around to look at me, I smiled at him….and his reaction was blank. No smile, no frown, no words of rebuke. There was no joy, but no pain either. It was almost as if he were numb. A friend said to me this morning, when one stops feeling anything at all, that person has reached the darkest place. This young child had a face that seemed almost empty. My smile turned to a frown and as I thought about this young boy, his life and the things he has been robbed of as a child living in poverty on the street. What must his life be like? What experiences have taken his smile, his joy, and even his pain away?
When we live in a world, where children are not allowed to be innocent and they are not allowed to see things with childlike wonder, how can we be living in a world where the Kingdom of God is theirs? Where does this little boy see the Kingdom of God? Where is Jesus for him? Praise God that there are many people who work with street kids in Lima and all over the world. But my desire is that the church, that Kingdom workers all over the world, take seriously Jesus’ desire that his Kingdom come and his will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
In less than a twenty-four hour period, I started off praising God for my unexpected retreat from San Juan. It was a welcomed break and something that I think is necessary, especially for those working among the poor long-term. However, at the end of this adventure, I praise God for not letting me be comfortable in my life all the time. He continues to stretch me and ask me to do things and go places that I never thought I would go and do. My continual prayer is that God would show me the world through Kingdom eyes…the world as He sees it. Thank you Lord, for being faithful!
Prayer request: Please pray for these three young boys and for the many other street kids that live in Lima. Pray that somebody would be the hands and feet of Jesus in their lives. Pray that they would be able to experience life as children, that innocence and childlike wonder would be restored to them.
(Matthew 19:13-15)
Last night, I stayed in an apartment in a different part of Lima….a barrio that is socially and economically of a higher standard of living than San Juan de Lurigancho where I am living and working. I have to admit, it was like a retreat. I have only been living in San Juan for a week and a half, so I didn’t realize that the change of scenery would make such an impact on me. But it did. My bed is comfortable in San Juan, but this bed felt like heaven. The shower was hot and had strong, glorious water pressure, unlike ours that is lukewarm and trickles. I didn’t feel as conspicuous or alert walking on the street as I do in San Juan. People didn’t seem to stare at this gringa with blonde hair as much for some reason.
But, to be honest, I don’t notice these differences when I am living in San Juan. I simply live life and feel privileged to have a shower and a bed when others just a few minutes away often go without. So then, I have to ask myself, was the difference really the bed, the shower and the people, or was it the feeling of being back in “my element” in a socioeconomic sphere that I know so well? It’s easy to be in a place that makes me comfortable, where I “fit in.” But I don’t think that “fitting in” is necessarily where God calls me to be most of the time. I don’t think Jesus “fit in” to his time and culture. He was a revolutionary if there ever was one in Ancient Israel. And the people he ministered to sure didn’t fit in either. If there was ever a rag-tag group of people, it was those that Jesus sought out. They were the prostitutes, the crippled, the lepers, the adulterers, the tax collectors….even the dead (the sermon was on Lazarus today!). Jesus ministered to a beautiful rainbow of people who were not perfect and often were not accepted as full members of society.
In this rainbow of different people, one of the groups Jesus most loved was children. Children were not often valued in Ancient Israel. Many of my professors have often commented that to gain respect in traditional societies, both ancient and modern, gray hair is the key! The more years you bring with you, the more people tend to respect you. So in terms of age, children were not respected. In the passage above, when the children came to Jesus, the disciples rebuked those that brought them. But Jesus said to the disciples, “Let them come…the kingdom belongs to ones like these.” Why does the Kingdom belong to those who are like children? Is it because they see things that adults don’t see, through their innocence and their unhardened hearts? Is it because children are willing to give of themselves passionately and live with childlike wonder?
If innocence and childlike wonder are the reasons, then what do Kingdom-builders, those of us who seek real biblical transformation in our world, do with children who have been robbed of that innocence and childlike wonder? On my way home, three young street boys got on our bus. One of them began to play an instrument, which upon closer inspection turned out to be an old ridged aluminum can and a hair pick. (I guess imagination is something that ALL children have in common.) These three amigos then began to sing a repertoire of songs which no doubt they had sung on many days on many buses as they worked for a few soles (Peruvian money). The youngest one could not have been more than 5 or 6 years old. At hearing them begin to singing, I smiled because, after all, who doesn’t like listening to children sing? But as the littlest amigo turned around to look at me, I smiled at him….and his reaction was blank. No smile, no frown, no words of rebuke. There was no joy, but no pain either. It was almost as if he were numb. A friend said to me this morning, when one stops feeling anything at all, that person has reached the darkest place. This young child had a face that seemed almost empty. My smile turned to a frown and as I thought about this young boy, his life and the things he has been robbed of as a child living in poverty on the street. What must his life be like? What experiences have taken his smile, his joy, and even his pain away?
When we live in a world, where children are not allowed to be innocent and they are not allowed to see things with childlike wonder, how can we be living in a world where the Kingdom of God is theirs? Where does this little boy see the Kingdom of God? Where is Jesus for him? Praise God that there are many people who work with street kids in Lima and all over the world. But my desire is that the church, that Kingdom workers all over the world, take seriously Jesus’ desire that his Kingdom come and his will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
In less than a twenty-four hour period, I started off praising God for my unexpected retreat from San Juan. It was a welcomed break and something that I think is necessary, especially for those working among the poor long-term. However, at the end of this adventure, I praise God for not letting me be comfortable in my life all the time. He continues to stretch me and ask me to do things and go places that I never thought I would go and do. My continual prayer is that God would show me the world through Kingdom eyes…the world as He sees it. Thank you Lord, for being faithful!
Prayer request: Please pray for these three young boys and for the many other street kids that live in Lima. Pray that somebody would be the hands and feet of Jesus in their lives. Pray that they would be able to experience life as children, that innocence and childlike wonder would be restored to them.
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