At soccer the yesterday there was a nine year old boy.
Of course there was multiple nine year old's, so what makes this one so special? This one walked to the sidelines crying, it took me a minute to walk over to him. I hesitated, I thought maybe he needed to be alone.. then I understood no one is supposed to be alone especially when they are hurting.
When I walked over to him I was crouching down, then I gradually sat on the grass with this little boy who I did not know. I did not know what was going on at home, I did not know what I was getting myself into when I asked him what was wrong and frankly I could have careless. If God called you to speak to someone the circumstances that you go against are something that God had already anticipated He's got you there for a reason. We talked for some while and his smile gradually came back to light as I told him stories about my life which I thought was comical.
I did not tell the boy my name until he asked and I only said my first name. That's because he didn't have to know my name to know that I cared about him even if I was a stranger to him. He needed to know, in that moment, that someone cared to listen to what he said. He said that the other children on his team was saying bad things about him and that his day was already bad. I will not go into details on what he said, but it shattered my heart. Now, I am a referee for soccer so I have seen lots of children crying and heard things that I would have thought would never come from a child's mouth. Even still this was a first for me. I told my youth pastor's wife, "He is nine years old Jill." Nine... There are some things that children go through at different ages, all which is part of their story I know, although no child should ever be left alone to deal with those situations. God did not call us to focus on us, he said, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. By this all people will know you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." ~John 13v34-35
At the end of our conversation, he said something I will never forget, "Thank you for making me feel better." Then he hugged me, a stranger who chose to sit on the grass with another stranger. I know that God gave me this moment with him to show him a love that day that he went without. God is love and we are his vessels.
Even at nine years old, he had felt a love that he knew cared about him, I didn't have to say some elaborate speech for him to listen, I assure you no fancy words were used. Just the power of God's reckless, undeniable love.
I learned something from that boy, tears can always turn to laughter.
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