One of the perks of my new job, which I didn’t have at my previous position, is getting to eat lunch. What a difference this break in the middle of the day makes for my mental well-being! On an especially stressful day I can hardly wait for 12 o’clock to come, so I can escape the pressures of work for a precious hour of peace and quiet down by the river. It’s the highlight of my day.
Wenatchee is blessed with a beautiful park which runs for miles along the Columbia River. It’s got a 11-mile loop for walking and biking, beautiful flower beds, wonderful views of the river, and picnic benches in the shade. It’s a very pleasant getaway from the busyness of life.
During my lunch breaks I enjoy watching the people in the park. Elderly ladies gather in lawn chairs just to chat, old men walk their dogs, bicyclists speed down the paved trail, and children run and play.
It was one of these children who made me laugh the other day. I was sitting at a table, eating my lunch and reading, when this little boy ran up, face flushed and voice filled with excitement. “Mister,” he said, “there’s a big event coming tomorrow night! You’ve got to come!” He handed me a flyer advertising a concert at his church, then ran off to find someone else to tell about the “big event.”
I got a kick out of the little guy’s enthusiasm and later spoke to his father, letting him know how his son had made my day. The boy’s happy smile and positive attitude helped me through the next 4 stressful hours and still make me chuckle even 3 days later.
The thing which struck me as I was thinking about this experience was how excited the boy had been about the “big event” coming to his church. He just couldn’t keep quiet about it and was inviting everyone he met to come and see. I think that’s how Jesus wants us to be.
In Matthew 18:3 Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” In these last days, with Jesus’ coming just around the corner, we need to be like my little friend and get excited about sharing the Good News with those around us. We need to “change and become like little children”, telling everyone we meet, “Hey, there’s a “big event” coming soon! You’ve gotta come!”