The Heart of a Child

I have a sweet tenderhearted friend from our homeschool co-op.(I actually have also of sweet mama friends from co-op, but I am talking about one in particular here.) Through reading about orphans and adoption, along with some other truths the Lord has been revealing to her recently, she has found her heart broken for orphans. Her oldest is a year younger than Luke, and he and Luke are friends. He son has seen her looking at and reading about orphans online and has been asking questions. She showed him Daniel's picture and then explained to him that Daniel is an orphan. She told him(on first grader terms) what it is like for orphans in Eastern Europe, and how orphans with special needs are sent to institutions if they aren't adopted by age 5 or so.


A day or two later while she was in the kitchen, her son came up to her and said, "Mom, do you know that if I was an orphan and I lived over there, that I wouldn't be able to be adopted because I am already 7?"


"Yeah, you're right" she said.


He walked off and returned a few minutes later with a bag. He gave her the bag and said, "I want to give my money to Luke's family to help them adopt that little boy."


My friend figured that he had gathered all of his change and given it as a sweet tenderhearted gesture. But when she looked inside the bag it was full of dollar bills.


This first grader, already sensitive to the things of the Lord, was selfless enough to give everything he had to help someone he doesn't even know. Sure, his gift is only a drop in the bucket in the face of the total cost of adoption, but his example supersedes his donation. Instead of spending his money on a new toy, or thinking "I'm just a kid, what can I possibly give?", he gave what he had, desiring for it to be used to help someone else.

I want to be more like that. I want to be more spiritually sensitive. I want to have a heart for the things of the Lord. I want to give to others without abandon. I want to be able to bless others through my obedience to God. Colby gave what he had to help someone less fortunate than him. I see Jesus in Colby, and it makes me want to be more like Jesus myself. I am so very thankful that the Lord used a child to teach me how to be more like him.