In almost every country we have encountered numerous street kids. These are children that live in the area, but spend most of their time on the streets. They are precious, their smiles are infectious, and their love is exuberant. And recently the Lord tenderly spoke to my heart about how much I can learn from them.
1. You’re circumstances never define how friendly you can be. Most of them literally have next to nothing, yet they are some of the friendliest little humans I have ever met. They don’t let their situation be a crutch or an excuse for hatred, anger, or resentment. I’ve never seen a street kid have a bad day.
2. Differences don’t mean you can’t be friends. So many times our interactions with street kids looks like a giant game of charades. If they know English, its usually very broken, and if we know their native language we usually know hello, goodbye, God bless you, and where is the bathroom (this one I made sure the add into the vocabulary after I got a parasite in Thailand.) In many ways we are completely opposite from our little friends on the street. We don’t speak the same language and our backgrounds and upbringings couldn’t be more different. But despite all the differences, beautiful friendships blossom.
3. Who cares where people are going, just go with them. Especially this month, we will start door-to-door evangelism with a team of six and end with an entourage of twelve kids just along for the ride. They don’t really care what we’re doing; they just want to join in. This is so sweet to me. They just want our companionship.
4. Sometimes we fall down, get back up and keep walking. Street kids are tough. They know how to brush things off, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a street kid overreact. Every crisis doesn’t have to be an epic proportioned catastrophe. Tough things happen and unfortunately we do fall down, literally and metaphorically. But we don’t have to stay down. The Lord gives us a spirit of endurance when we are rooted in Him.
5. We need to hug more. Every morning on our way to teach preschool we have the most precious little band of siblings waiting for us in the street. They get a 20 foot running start as soon as they see us they leap into our arms! It’s the best way to start the day. These children are the most joyful kids and they love people so well.
6. Choose kindness and selflessness. These children stick together, they watch over one another, and they protect each other. They may bicker and argue sometimes but they are loyal. If one gets a cookie or a piece of food they often take one bite then pass it on to the next child. Just recently Brad was hanging out with a little boy and he told Brad that he was so hungry. So we got him some goat on a stick and after he took one bite, he then pulled three more pieces of meat off for his friends.
I am so thankful that the Lord uses simple things in life, like the smiles of these precious children, to speak life changing messages into our hearts.
