Children of Hope

I was reminded this morning of my own short-sightedness and the blessing of a Father's everlasting love. Our church sponsored the "Children of Hope" this morning during our regular worship time. The group is made up of about fifteen children from ages of about 4 to 10, that come from foreign countries such as Uganda, Africa, and Asia. They sing wonderful praise and worship music, some of it in their own language (the words were on the big screen, so we knew what they were saying). They are all orphans that have lost their parents to AIDS, war, or some other tragic event. As I strained to understand what they were saying, because some of the children had a strong dialect, I finally understood what "Jesus loves the little children of the world" meant. What it must be like to not be able to see gender, race, or ethicnity. But that is exactly how God sees us. We are all equal and precious in His sight! Since I have had Alise, my heart has softened to children who have lost their parents, been orphaned, or simply been abused our abandoned. Oh, how God's heart must grieve at the world's harsh affects on His precious children. Sometimes it's easy to ask how could a loving God allow such horrible things to happen to His children? How could He allow a small Africian boy witness the brutal murder of his own father? But that's just it. Because of His wonderful and never ending love, God saved us from ourselves. Not from the harshness of the world, but from the destructive behavior that drives our actions and motives. "Let the little children come unto me," Jesus said. Now picture a child of every gender, race, and ethnic group sitting at the feet of the Savior. That is what's precious in His sight.