Lessons from a four-year old

I have to credit my four-year old nephew for reminding me of important truth last weekend. I had the privilege of keeping my nieces and nephew for 8 hours last Saturday. One of the "fun" things they did with Auntie was attend a party to welcome my friends' new baby. Despite having to walk several blocks past Fair parade traffic, we arrived in pretty good spirits to discover the fun that awaited at this party.

As we walked to the party, Michael (my nephew) had been collecting several small pieces of gravel from the driveways we passed. When we arrived at the party, he promptly found the other little boy his age and handed him the "rocks".  "Here are some rocks," Michael said as he dashed off to plunder the food table.
A little later this boy was jumping on the trampoline with Michael and I overheard a brief conversation between them.
"Thanks for the rocks." -Little Boy
"Your welcome." - Michael
And they became fast friends...
The little boy's mother told me that he was thrilled with Michael's gift.
So simple... so unassuming...

No wonder Jesus told us to look to children for the example of the kind of faith it takes to enter the Kingdom of God. Luke 16:18, "But Jesus called for the children, saying, “Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.”

I don't often realize how simple it is to share the message of the Gospel with the ordinary people around me. Yes, some will reject it. But how often do I miss those opportunities to share the treasure I hold within my heart by telling someone about what Jesus did for them.
"Here is a treasure-let me tell you about Jesus,"
"Thanks for the treasure."
"Your welcome."

We are missing out on opportunities to make friends for eternity.

My superhero nephew