Summer Lovin'

I've written a couple of times about the kids I work with at church. It seems that every time I am around them, it gives me something to reflect on. Friday was another Family Fun Night to wrap up VBS week. I was taking a volleyball break and one of the girls comes running up to me, throws her arms around me, and says "Miss.Sarah I missed you!" I thought to myself that it had only been 24 hours since she had last seen me, but then began to think about how maybe kids have a lot to teach us about love. The thing abut kids is that they see right through facades and they truly are great judges of character. This girl has seen me reprimand other kids and she has received some stern talks from me as well. But yet she still came running up to me to give me a hug and tell me she missed me. That kind of innocent, pure love is so beautiful. Kids often respond to adults with unabashed love just because those adults chose to share their lives. As adults, maybe we've missed something. Love so often becomes a chore, or it's used to manipulate or control, but a child's love is so simple.

I wonder if the love of a child is like God the Father's love for us. Does God yearn to throw His arms around us, and tell us He has missed us when we've run off in embarrassment after doing something wrong? Maybe we need to love the Lord like a child, just like we need to have the faith of a child to inherit the Kingdom. ....

In His Mercy.