A Personal Thought

Naomi
Many tears were shed this last week by flood victims who shared their stories of heart break and devastation. Men, women, and children – the flood affected everyone. Many were left with little, others with nothing. Tear filled eyes, heartbreak, and hopeless faces were a common sight as we distributed humanitarian aid last week. Of all the faces we saw there is one that will be burned in my memory for a long time to come. Barefoot, little chubby cheeks, and not even three feet tall, Naomi ran in circles. She pointed at birds. Her eyes open wide as they flew away. And off she goes again. Her squeaking shoes always told you where she was. Everyone else, including Naomi’s mother was digging through boxes of shoes and piles of clothes. Naomi’s father watched her as she ran around to be sure she didn’t go anywhere she shouldn’t. In his arms, was newly born Nastia and a bag containing bread and sugar in the other. The home in which Naomi’s family lived had received terrible damage. Taking shelter with friends they had cleaned their newly remodeled home of anything they could salvage. The dreams this young couple held for life in their new home had been washed away. As for Naomi- The world around her had fallen apart and she was none the wiser. She had no fears of where she would sleep or what she would eat. She knew her parents would take care of her. In Naomi’s eyes she had everything she needed. With great joy, she ran about playing and taking pleasure in everything she saw.

This made me think of my own life. When floods come into my life, why don’t I trust God to take care of me? He got me through the flood didn’t he? When something happens that turns my world upside down, enjoying life is the last thing I do. I become so busy trying to rebuild what I had or trying to build something new that I forget to be thankful for what I do have.

Mark 10:15 “I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
Like a little child- to have faith that God, my father, will take care of my needs, to look at the world around me with eyes wide open, to be amazed at the beauty that surrounds me, to stop busying myself long enough to spend time in the presence of God, to let Him hold me, to comfort me- this is what it is to be a child.