Saturday, March 19, 2011

compassion & faith

People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.
--Mark 10:13-16

In trying to explain to my 3-year-old why we are helping and praying for Roselyn, one of the first things that came to mind was how her house probably isn't as sturdy and dependable as ours. Cate seemed to want more, so I said, "Her roof may not be as good as ours. It may leak when it rains."

That was months ago. And nearly every night since, Cate has thanked God for Roselyn and prayed that her house doesn't leak. Sometimes she thanks God that our house doesn't leak.

It's cute and honest and persistent and innocent. While there are many other things we could pray for on behalf of Roselyn and her family in Guatemala, the simple request speaks volumes to my heart. Cate is thinking of someone she's never met and asking God to maintain a basic need.

Yes, I'll tell her about other ways Roselyn needs our prayers. And I'll continue to tell Roselyn about how we pray for her regularly. One of us reads Cate the letters Roselyn sends and Cate always thinks the hand-drawn pictures on the notes are for her.

Roselyn turned 4 in November and Cate will be 4 in less than two months. Yet their hearts -- Cate's shown through her prayers and Roselyn's through what she dictates to her tutor who writes the letters -- are such testaments to the faith God calls us to have.
_______

There are plenty of other children who need these kind of prayers. You can find one through Compassion International, and I'm guessing your faith will never be the same.

1 comment:

  1. I am agreeing 110% with your last line. Since we sponsored our first child in June 2009, we have all been changed in ways we never expected. As our CI family has grown from one to nine, the blessings multiply. It warms my heart to hear my four year old rattle off our children's names in prayer, especially Kazihizina from Rwanda. (A name that my husband struggles with from time to time!)
    God bless you for spreading the word. :D

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