Out of the Mouths of Babes!

“Does a tree cry? Will it hurt when it’s cut?” At this question, he looked at the band-aid on his index finger. “Are we being mean?” The questions from my three-year-old kept coming, unhindered by the thought that they were silly or that I’d laugh at him. As it was, I found myself at a loss for words. I couldn’t help thinking, Out of the mouths of babes, as we watched our 300-year-old Manitoba Maple lose it’s battle with a chain saw. As far as I was concerned, it was a momentous day and a long time in coming. Its root system was playing havoc with our septic system, and its long, heavy branches had enveloped more than half of our roof, creating moss on the shingles and the need to replace them. The tree had to go! I just wasn’t prepared for the effect it would have on my younger son nor how his words would almost cripple my heart!

Bordering on tears myself, I attempted to assure him (and myself!) that trees did not feel pain. I assured him that the tree was very old and had grown out of control. It had to be removed to keep us safe and healthy. I then proceeded to explain the practical reasons why it had to come down; but, as to be expected, my words fell on the deaf ears of my three-year-old. As I watched his painful expression grow into a look that every mother dreads, I desperately tried to focus his thoughts on the fun he’d have climbing through the stumps and branches with his sister and our dog, Brandy. Thankfully, this proved to be the distraction he needed to survive the ‘meanness’ of cutting down the big, old, defenseless tree! And, in deed, he did have fun climbing through the remains of what once was a majestic, but troublesome tree.

I have a folder where I keep I-just-might-use-this articles. The following is one of them. I wish I could give credit to the author, but sadly, it’s just a photocopy with no reference of its origin. Thus, I will beg forgiveness for not giving credit where credit is due but trust that the author would be happy that it had been shared!

Unconditional Love From a Child

We often learn the most from our children. Some time ago, a friend of mine punished his three-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree. Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, “This is for you, Daddy.” He was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger flared again when he found that the box was empty.

He yelled at her, “Don’t you know that when you give someone a present, there’s supposed to be something inside of it!” His little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said, “Oh, Daddy, it’s not empty. I blew kisses into the box. All for you, Daddy.” The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl and he begged her for forgiveness.

My friend told me that he kept that gold box by his bed for years. Whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who put it there.

In a very real sense, each of us as parents has been given a gold container filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children. There is no more precious possession anyone could hold.

Too often our mind set as adults is that children are to be seen and not heard and not to speak unless spoken to. We tend to think that children are in this world to learn from us. But, in truth, children have a way of humbling us through their innocence and genuine, unadulterated approach to life. They love unconditionally and unyieldingly, and have no boundaries on how they express themselves, thus the kisses in a box! If we were a bit more like children, we might see the world from a healthier perspective, perhaps see the joy that surrounds us with every breath we take, experience the freedom that comes with forgiveness, and revel in the beauty of a fresh start every morning we awake.

Out of the mouths of babes? Absolutely!

“People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have Him touch them.
When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them.
But Jesus called the little children to Him and said,
‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them,
for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.’”
Luke 18:16