Thursday, May 25, 2023

“I am scared, Mama,” cried my 4-year-old, running into my arms on a stormy night. To normalize her fears, I responded, “I am also scared.” The bewildered look on her face shocked me. As I began to think about it, I realized she was shaken up because she had believed that I, too, was scared! The beauty of her implicit trust in me touched my heart and reminded me of a story by Oscar Wilde, in which a little child changes the selfish Giant’s heart. The Giant then remarks, “I have many beautiful flowers, but the children are the most beautiful flowers of all.” Jesus was drawn to children and children to Him. Their honest, unpretentious nature of complete trust is indeed precious. To be childlike, not childish, is the only way to break the adult mindset into freedom and joy, and the Kingdom of God belongs to such!

Ninety-eight percent of Indians are not Christians. Haggai brought a paradigm shift and encouraged me to patiently love people within their own cultures. True and beautiful change is always deep within the heart of the person, not in their traditions.