THROUGH THE EYES OF A CHILD

I've had this writer's block for the past couple of weeks.

Either that or I simply was not inspired to write.

It had been continuously raining for days now and from where I am I can hear the rain coupled with thunder and lightning.

I love the sound of rain, or water for that matter. To me it is therapeutic, and inspiring too because as a result of this weather, all of a sudden I felt the need to write about something that pricked my sensibilities and was deeply humbled.

I was reading an email earlier that had been sent by a friend and was intensely touched that I could not help but give my two cents worth on this. I'm sure some of you might be familiar with this story but it's worth sharing anyway.

This in a nutshell is how it goes:

It is about a couple who were dining with their baby in a restaurant. While partaking of their meal, the mother noticed that her baby was clapping and smiling at a man from across their table. She noticed that he was wearing clothes that had seen better days and worn out shoes with his toes peeking out. His uncombed hair and beard looked like they needed a cut and a shave. To her, he simply was shabby and needed a bath, and although he was a couple of tables away, she was deadsure he smelled. Her baby, however, was oblivious of all these and seemed to enjoy waving and smiling at the man who was waving back at him.

When they had finished with their meal, she and her husband stood and headed for the door. She then noticed that the man also headed in the same direction. He was standing by the door such that the mother who was carrying her baby on her arms would have to pass through him on her way out. She dreaded doing this for she feared that the man might suddenly grab her baby. When she passed through him, she was dumbfounded when all of a sudden her baby stretched out his arms and leaned towards the man who caught him with his arms and gave him a tight hug. The mom noticed that her baby, in a full act of submission, nestled his head on the man's shoulder and seemed to be enjoying the warmth and comfort accorded him for there was a smile on his little face. The man with tears in his eyes was smiling too as he cradled the baby in his arms and patted his back with a scarred hand that bore the signs of hard labor.

After a few seconds,the man handed back her baby and told her to take good care of him. She then made a dash for the door.

On their way home, she realized how insensitive she was for thinking all along that the man would want to harm her child, and for not wanting her baby to go near him because he was dirty and he smells. It was then that she felt a sense of guilt for not wanting to share her baby, when God was generous enough to have shared His only son with us.

End of story.

Now how many of us are guilty of trying to distance ourselves from beggars all because they are dirty and they smell, or disassociating ourselves from the sick and the desolate for fear of being exposed to them, when all they need is a little compassion.

It truly was a humbling experience for we had to direct one's attention through the eyes of a child to make us realize that this is how God wants us to be, childlike.

We should not be judgmental of people, for what they truly are goes beyond the physical. It is something that is not often seen by the eye but can be felt by the heart.

Happiness is not measured by material things but by acts of kindness no matter how small.

You may have all the wealth and success in the world but in the end, it is how you treat others that counts.

So the next time you feel like looking down on people or being indifferent towards them, think about the innocence of the child who passed no judgment on the man and accepted him for who or what he was; dirt, grime and smell notwithstanding.