Hidden In a Smile

“Smiles… there was this little girl at the last church we went to on the island we visited with Dad that just really reminded me of how God just hides himself in these little places  just waiting for us to slow down enough to look and see him there.

This little girl was sitting near me and she would look over at me. I tried to  get her to come sit with me but she was very shy so instead I would just smile at her. Sometimes I feel like its a part of my ministry to just really intentionally smile big, like really look at people and smile… and thats what I felt like I needed to do then.  I would smile and then she would look at me and cover her face with her little hands and then peek at me with just one eye through her little fingers.  We did this for a while as I sat on the floor surrounded by all these children with the church officials slowly standing and introducing themselves to the room.  At the end of the introductions she came over and was hanging on me and smiling at me uncovered and just looking me square in the eyes.  I was remembering how I wrote a letter to one of my friends before leaving the gateway about looking for Jesus in the kids smiles and no joke I was looking at this girl and there he was.  It was so clear. Then I started looking around the room and the only thing I could see was that kids were everywhere and they were smiling, some at me and some just with their friends as they talked and played.  The room was FULL of children and Dad was at the front talking about the kingdom of God and how it is filled with children and I was just thinking “ya… I can see it.”  I can see it in their smiles so very clearly.”

I LOVE kids.  I love them and me and Dad were talking at one point while he was here about how many kids there are here.  You hear about how many kids there are in Africa and you think that you understand (you are probably thinking right now that you know but I honestly don’t think you can know until you come here and see) and are ready to see them all but then you come and you wonder how there could possibly be so many.  They are everywhere! There are literally kids EVERYWHERE! You walk down the road and they just come out to see you and wave and if you stay anywhere long enough they are going to be surrounding you! Its beautiful and overwhelming all at the same time.  I struggle with feeling like there is just not enough time… how can you give them the attention they deserve.  How can you even see all of them.  The kids are beautiful and I hate that you leave a situation and the faces of the crowds start blending together in your mind.  Dad was encouraging to me while he was here talking about how even Jesus in the midst of crowds would really pick out and SEE one person and minister specifically to them. He had compassion on the crowds.  He loved everyone of the people there but he would hone in on one in the midst of the crowds.  I find myself often praying that God would show me the one he wants me to really SEE in the midst of the overwhelming crowd. I guess thats all we can do really… is just strive to follow the example of Jesus, to model our lives after his even in the simplest of moments.  

Jesus please just make me more like you.