I sat busily processing photo after photo of newly registered children. What was foremost in my mind was the deadline for submitting the quota, and it was near!
I looked at the last image, quickly checking for quality, but stopped midway. I looked at the image again and then realized that this was not just any image — not just another piece of information I was processing, not just another assignment to be finished and submitted. It was a photo of a child, a real child somewhere in the rural area of Rwanda.
This was a child needing to be loved, to be cared for, to be touched and blessed. I paused for a moment and prayed for the child and for the others whose images I had been working on.
As I thought about this, Mark 10 came into my mind. I asked myself if I acted like Jesus or the disciples toward the children.
Jesus touched and blessed the children. The disciples rebuked them, perhaps because they thought their Master was being bothered and had other more important things to do.
Many times we are so busy in our daily tasks, bent on doing them well and on time, that we lose sight of the children altogether.
Are we able to extract the children from the intricacies of our daily work and focus on them, even if for a moment? What are we really passionate about in our respective roles, in our daily activities?
I know that most of us may not have the opportunity to physically touch these children.
But just let your heart, for a time, reach out and touch them and bless them. Most importantly, speak up for them before our Father in prayer.
People were bringing little children to Jesus … but the disciples rebuked them. He took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them. —Mark 10:13,16, NIV
Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, thank You for the children entrusted to us. Help us to not get so busy with the ministry that we forget them. Bless them. Amen.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jane Abera is a Program Communications Manager in the Compassion Rwanda office.
Read all the One in Spirit devotionals.