Throughout my dealings with children, there is a whole
variety of relationships that develop. There are those children who have stayed
long enough in our daycare that they feel like family even after they have
graduated from their years with us. There are also children who come and go so
quickly that we never feel like we could
connect with them at all.
As we do
activities in the community, whether it is dropping off and picking up children
at school, taking them skating, or flying kites in the school field, we are
introduced to other children who are friends or schoolmates of those we are
caring for. They are often attracted to whatever we are doing with their
friends, and some will peek their heads in (so to speak) to see if they can
join us. It is then that we hit a distinctive problem in relationships with the
little ones of our world.
It is one
thing to be with children close enough to know what they are going through in
life, and have the opportunity to do things to build them up in joy and love.
It is another thing to meet these friends-of-friends and pick up little things
(or sometimes not little enough) that let us know all is not well in their
worlds. There is heartache over the stories we hear, or the things we see, but
no way or means of reaching out to do anything about it. There are simply too
many children in messed up situations, broken homes, and emotionally
traumatizing situations.
This all hits
me like an arrow piercing the bull's eye of my heart right as God teaches me
the indisputable lesson that prayer is one of the primary ways we can “be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ
Jesus.”[1]
Considering
the needs of children at every degree of closeness or distance to Christ-loving
adults, brings me to the reminder that Paul calls the church to “join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on
those who walk according to the example you have in us.”[2]In
other words, prayer is about far more than our own need to be strengthened by
grace. It is also about having the heart of the apostles for people in such a
need of the healing touch of Jesus Christ our Savior.
The conclusion
(yes, I am there already!) is that, we can pray for these children who are a
bit too distant from us to reach directly into their lives with a ministry of
faith, hope, and love in Jesus Christ our Lord. Prayer will not only strengthen
us in the grace of our Savior, but it will make us partners with him in any
work he is doing in any of the children we see around us, even ones we only
hear of in the too common stories that
hit the news.
While I am
writing this, I am very aware that there are other ways that children can live
right out of our reach, but close enough to demand our hearts’ attention. I
speak of the adults in our families, friendships, and churches that feel like
they have a broken wounded child within them who has never felt the healing
touch of the Father. Yes, we can pray for them too.
© 2015 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517,
Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8 ~ in2freedom@gmail.com
Unless otherwise noted,
Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good
News Publishers.)
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