As we sat around waiting for the kids to arrive, I tried to prepare myself for the afternoon praying for people on the streets of Coleraine, Northern Ireland. No one was there by the time the event technically started and I found myself on the edge of my seat, waiting for them to send us home. I was tired from a long and draining month and if I am being honest, I was nervous to lead kids in something I'm not even all that comfortable with.
About five minutes before they were going to send us on our way, three kids walked through the door. So, they paired us off and sent us out, arms full of Cadbury eggs to give away. Before we left though, we prayed over the afternoon and the people we would meet. Emily and I were paired with an eight year old little boy and his 6 year old younger sister. When they prayed, they were quiet and sweet, but they were bold. Most kids would have already eaten half the chocolate they were supposed to give out, wouldn't have a clue how to pray out loud, and would rather be playing video games or Barbies than blessing other people with free chocolate and prayer. But these kids- they were ready.
It wasn't 30 seconds after we walked out the big double doors before they were running up to people, shoving the baskets of chocolate (perhaps a little too boldly) in their faces. We walked around the town center and gave them to everyone we saw. Emily and I just hung back, watching their joy as they gave it all away, telling people over and over that they weren't asking for anything in return, they just wanted to give. It was sort of beautiful.
When we ran out of chocolate, they decided they should start asking to pray for people. They marched right up to old men, women with screaming babies, teenagers, shop owners, and even friends from school and bravely asked if there was anything they needed prayer for. Time, after time, after time-nothing changed. All they got were confused looks and polite "no thank you"s. Even when the people looked to me and Em to explain what on earth was happening and we told them who we were and that we simply wanted to pray for them, every single person said no.
If it was just Em and I out there on the streets, let me tell you, we probably would have just gone home after the first five people. We would have over analyzed the situation and reacted out of embarrassment or feelings of rejection and made the entire thing about us. At least I would have. But these kids, they didn't even stop for a second to ask why people were turning them away. They just continued to skip up to people with absolute joy seeping out of them and ask the fiftieth person if they could bring the love of God to them in prayer.
Em and I just kept looking at each other and marveling at their boldness, bravery, and crazy faith.
Maybe this was what Jesus meant when He told us to have faith like a child.
Maybe He just desires for us to believe that He is who He says He is and not worry about who people think we are. Maybe He wants child-like obedience that doesn't constantly ask how or why He would use us, but simply goes, absolutely thrilled that we get to help our Dad in whatever it is He is doing, trusting Him to finish the work He started.
We didn't end up praying for anyone on the streets that day, but when it was over, we returned with the joy that came from knowing that we did exactly what God had asked of us and He accomplished exactly what He had planned for all along, even if we didn't know what that was.
Now that I think about it, I'm sure it went exactly as it did so that He could teach me to have faith like the two adorable, Northern Irish kids we got to spend the afternoon with- faith like a child.
