I shared some weeks ago that my son’s first grade class has seen several children added to it through adoption and that one of those children is a little boy I’ve called Dawit. (I do change names for the privacy and protection of the folks I write about, unless I have their express permission to do otherwise.)
Well, dear little Dawit has been here for many weeks now. He is learning steadily and acquiring English language skills well. He still struggles with this, but he is progressing rapidly. He also has social challenges. Having spent his first six years in an orphanage, he doesn’t behave in the same way the other children do. He touches things that aren’t his and he breaks crayons just to see if they’ll break and he snatches toys from the hands of the other children, not because he’s malicious, but because he’s curious, has never seen a Lego, and doesn’t understand why it’s not okay to behave this way. As an example, the children at my son’s elementary school all use exercise balls as their chairs. Dawit went round the room day after day for a long time patting and bouncing everyone’s “chair”. He simply couldn’t resist. During lessons, he sometimes just gets up and starts walking around the room. This little treasure is learning and it’s taking time. However, you can imagine the uproar some of these things can cause with the other children. You might imagine the eruption that takes place when Dawit snatches a toy that four or five of the boys in the class are playing with. The children don’t understand why he does these things and they feel the injustice of it.
Let’s get to God at work. Clearly, His placement of this little fellow in a loving family is Him at work. However, He’s doing more. Last week, my son came to me and said, “Mama, my friend M and I decided that tomorrow we are going to play with Dawit all day long. He doesn’t have enough friends yet and we are going to play with him and help him get more friends.” My heart was delighted. My son confided that this was M’s idea, not his. My heart rejoiced again. God had answered my prayer that my son would be gifted with friends that would help him make good choices. I didn’t imagine He would answer when my son is still so young.
My son has struggled with Dawit himself. I have talked to him about Dawit’s background, working to instill compassion in him and have instructed him that he is to love Dawit. We’ve talked about ways he can show love to others and specifically to this new peer of his. And, I’ve begun to pray that God would develop a heart of compassion in my son. It’s working. He greeted Dawit this morning with more warmth than I’ve seen to this point.
God is at work in hearts of young children on behalf of other young children. That is so powerful. I’ve noticed that some of these little ones allow themselves to be prompted to action more quickly than their adult counterparts. They are creative and excited about doing good and so they do it – immediately! Oh that we would all be so moved when we see and understand a need. This story is rife with answers from God and with evidence of Him at work. Comment below…how are you seeing God at work these days on behalf of the vulnerable?
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