I was serving in the nursery, and it was snack time. I loved watching the children’s personalities come out as they ate. Some kids dipped their crackers in their drinks and had to hurry to get it to their mouths before it fell apart. Others lined their fish up before they ate them or they made the fish swim to their mouths. Snack time with little kids always makes me smile.
My heart changed when I watched a sweet girl named Brooklyn Ragsdale share her snack with the boy next to her. She was taking teeny bites of her small cookie and enjoying each tiny bite. The boy next to her ate his cookie rather quickly. Brooklyn saw that he wanted more. She broke her cookie in half and gave it to him with a smile on her face. It was an automatic response for her. She even patted him on the back after she gave it to him, just needing to give him a bit more of her love. Such a sweet gesture. The teacher closest to her leaned down and thanked her for sharing with a warm smile on her face that was full of love for little Brooklyn. The adults in the room smiled at each other knowing we had witnessed a disciple of Christ.
Children show us the way! I wondered why this was her automatic response and I realized that it was partly her nature. The light of Christ was so evident in her countenance and such a beautiful part of her. It was also because she had parents that exhibited this type of behavior. Letting our children see us exhibiting some of the Savior’s attributes helps them to learn of Him and see His gospel in action. When we see our children’s attempts to be Christlike, we can acknowledge their efforts. Her parents acknowledged and encouraged this type of love, and it was such a beautiful part of Brooklyn.
Her actions changed my heart and made me want to be more like her. I wanted my response to someone’s need to be automatic like it was with her. She put the needs of others first and was willing to share. Jesus understood their goodness and pointed us to look to them to fight our worldly, selfish tendencies. Children can truly show us the way!