Beech Tree News Network

One day, I was reading a book about children from different cultures to my granddaughter, Sabria.  In the book, a little girl from India made the statement, “Rice is the most popular food in the world.”

Sabria shook her head in disagreement, “No it isn’t,” she said, “McDonalds is.”

I have always enjoyed the views of children, especially my children when they were young, as well as my granddaughter, now.  I don’t always know where she gets her information, but Sabria is confident in it.  She told me once that there are no ambulances in the state of Oregon.  “If you get sick or hurt, you have to drive yourself to the hospital,” she said.  After she saw a picture of herself as a toddler, sitting in a metal tub, she said, “You shouldn’t put your babies in a wash tub.”

The other thing I love about children is their belief in the impractical, the unreasonable and even the impossible.  Children have to be taught skepticism and doubt.  They are born believers.  One of my favorite stories about the faith of a child is the story of Bobby Hill.  I heard this story several years ago, so I searched for it online.  I found it on woodinvillecofc.org.

“Bobby Hill, 13 year-old son of U.S. Army sergeant stationed in Italy read a book about the work of Albert Schweitzer.  Deciding he wanted to help, Bobby sent one bottle of aspirin to Lt. General Richard C. Lindsay, Commander of Allied air forces in Southern Europe, and asked if one of his planes could parachute the bottle to Dr. Schweitzer’s hospital.  An Italian radio station heard of this and issued an appeal for other help.  In all, more than $400,000 worth of medical supplies were donated.  The French and Italian governments each supplied an airplane to help fly the supplies and the boy to Dr. Schweitzer.  Upon meeting Bobby, Dr. Schweitzer said, “I never thought a child could do so much for my hospital.”

I heard the next story in a sermon at Living Hope Baptist Church in the year 2000.  Like the aspirin story, it is one about the faith of a child.

A pastor found a little girl crying outside of a Sunday school room.  When he asked her what was wrong, she told him she had been turned away from the class because the teacher said there wasn’t enough room for her.  The pastor looked at the little girl’s worn-out clothing and realized she had been rejected because of her appearance.  He took her back to Sunday school and found a place for her.  The child was so touched by the pastor’s action that she prayed to God that she could help the church build a bigger place, so that no child would be turned away.  Two years later, the pastor was called to the dying child’s bedside.  Under her pillow, they found a small purse with 57 cents and a note that read, “To help build a bigger church so that no child will be turned away.”  The pastor presented the 57 cents at the next service.  The deacons were inspired to raise money for that purpose.  News of the girl’s gift spread.  A realtor offered a prime piece of property for the building of a new church.  The building committee said they would love to have it, but they could not afford it.  The realtor said, “It’s yours for 57 cents.  Today, it is Temple Baptist Church in Philadelphia.  A university and a hospital were also outgrowths of the church, all from a 57 cent donation and the prayer of a little girl.

Children have a way of simplifying a matter.  Jesus said all of life could be summed up in, “Love God and love your neighbor as yourself.”  As children, we know this.  It’s too bad we have to grow up.