One of the girls almost immediately declared that she wanted to color. Later I could see that she really enjoys coloring... she took home at least ten pages of her own creations.
At first I just watched the table full of girls draw out their own scenes using as many colors as they could get their hands on. I watched one particular girl draw a horse with grass and flowers and a bright yellow sun and a combination of basic shapes, like a circle for a hand with small lines for fingers, 6 fingers I counted, bringing a smile to my face, to make up a girl (herself) feeding the horse. I thought to myself, "Is this how she sees life? How simple. How beautiful."
I looked around at the other masterpieces on the table including a rainbow and more flowers and a house with one large door and two windows and a chimney. I asked God, "Why can't our view of the world, our view of life stay this way? Why can't we just see the beautiful colors and shapes that you've put together so creatively as you sign your name at the top of each page?" I spend so much time worrying and stressing and living in the past, trying to keep up a good image of myself when all I need to do and should do is let Him be the image others see of me. And these kids, these kids have experienced real, heartbreaking pain... this girl who filled so many blank pages, she told me her mom died. And another girl was clearly wearing her teenage brother's hand-me-down clothes, down to the shoes. Was that all her parents could afford as they worked hard to make ends meet?
I decided to draw how I yearn to see life, to experience life. To see His grace, His peace, His joy in the simplest of things, like in the flowers, in laughter, in hugs with my husband and between friends, in the soft breeze, in the sun's rays, in my imperfections as He fills in all the expectations I cannot meet (He always does), even in the tears and struggles for even when in the most trying of seasons His grace and His peace still surround and abound. He does not change.
I want to see life as a child does, beyond the barriers of race and color and financial status. To trust in the provision of my Heavenly Father as a child trusts in his/her parents. To always have enough time, to make enough time to run into my Father's arms, climb into His lap and listen to His stories as I admire Him, giddy with love for Him. To let Him tuck me in each night as He sings over me, as He sings over all of His children.
I look over and this girl who wears her older brother's long plaid shorts has joined us in all of our creating and imagining. She has written the words "hope" and "love" on her blank page and encircled the words in the shape of flowers, just as I had done. And as much as I may have inspired her to do that, these young girls had inspired me and left me praying for faith like a child, for His word says, "Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it (Luke 18:17)."
