Little Treasures
We strolled down the aisles of the grocery store collecting snacks for our upcoming vacation.
My husband pushed the basket of girls, and I followed behind with the stroller.
Mommy… Daddy… Mommy…Daddy…
They were being silly. Their usual spunky selves. Chatty little girls whose words never end.
Giggles escaped their mouths, sweet smiles pasted across their faces. We took in the bliss of their high pitched voices as they sang our names in unison. A light moment at the store.
Not always the case, but today, all was well.
A young woman stood on the other side of the aisle scanning the bags of chips. At least a decade my junior. Probably more, but I’m not very good at guessing ages anymore.
“Excuse us,” my husband commented as he crossed in front of her with the joy-filled basket.
Shifting her eyes from the basket to me, she uttered a phrase that stopped me in my tracks.
“Thanks for the birth control.” Her eyes shot back to my children and she let out a dismissive laugh.
I’m not sure what she expected me, their mother, to say.
Or if she really assumed my thoughts would align with hers.
It was probably not all that long ago, she rode through the store in a basket acting the same very way with her own mother. A woman who clearly thought she was worth the work and investment and time. I wondered what had happened between now and then to cause her to see children, especially my precious ones, in such a disdainful light.
“Oh, no, they’re absolutely wonderful.” My response was quick and simple. Truthful, too. Wordier replies battled for space on my tongue, but I knew a graceful reply would prove more effective than a long-winded one.
I realize I’m a radical these days, believing that all children are worth life and breath, love and space. And even though she didn’t see value in the small people in front of her, I sure did. Not because they’re mine, but because they’re created in the image of God.
“I’m just kidding.” The words tumbled from her mouth, enveloped in a nervous laugh.
But she’d already revealed the truth of her stance. After all, out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.
Some of God’s richest blessings are packaged up in children. Little lives full of untapped potential and immeasurable joy. And whether we planned them or not, God has designed each one with great purpose and intentionality.
I often wonder what our world would look like if everyone was given a chance. A chance to be and to do and to become.
We’ll never know.
But one thing I do know, all the children in my care are not only worth the sacrifice and effort, but they’re already making this world, and my world, a better place.
And I am forever grateful they’re in it.
