A Child’s Response….
Yesterday we did a group lesson on the Good Shepherd. I have mentioned that the children are learning the 23rd Psalm among others this term. In my orderly, teacher like mind, I thought it was a big BUST! And yet today I watched something very interesting happen. I laid their little colored pictures of a shepherd on our table yesterday. You know the one I told you about.
We say their work is a gift. We say do your best, because it is honoring to the Lord. We do the simple, seemingly unceremonious act of leaving some simple work there, as a visual clue, that there is so much more going on with what we do, then what we do. And there are days I wonder if any of it gets in. Maybe I am being too… I don’t know hopeful about my intentionality…and today I saw it.
Just a little glimpse. Chloe spontaneously moved her chair over to the the table in front of the cross to do her math work. She has never done this before, and I asked what she was doing, she said, “I wanna work here Mom.” She stopped, doing the math and started drawing the Good Shepherd, in her own hand. This is a child’s way of meditating on the words of Jesus. I wouldn’t of know that without reading The Religious Potential of the Child by Cavalletti and seeing 50 years of her work, and story after story revealing the way children interact and meditate on Jesus. It is much different then we adults.
In some time, she finished her drawing and her math, and went and put it all away and the two of us never talked again about it. I am willing to bet, that she will be an adult and think back to that very moment and something special Jesus was teaching her. So, I keep praying and sowing and watching and…..standing back and letting Jesus be her king without me forcing it.
It was humbling actually, you know like when you walk in on an important conversation that two other people are having and you know you are not supposed to be there. It was kind of like that.
Peace to all~
