From the Mouth of Babes by Joyce Schafer

A year ago I had the privilege of witnessing patriotism at its finest. I attended my granddaughter’s PreK graduation. To hear these 4 year olds reciting the Pledge of Allegiance was guaranteed to put a lump in your throat. Then they proceeded to tell us how many stars and stripes were in the flag and what each stood for. These kids really knew their stuff! They also knew their songs, singing America the Beautiful and other patriotic favorites. They made their teachers, parents and grandparents proud that day.

I learned some important lessons that day. We have some great teachers in our school system. Even though today these teachers are not allowed to teach about God in the public schools, they can and do practice their faith. It shines through in the way they deal with the students, the parents and coworkers. We should thank God everyday for them.

I also realized that small children are like sponges. They soak up everything – whether it is clean or dirty. Anyone who has slipped up and said a bad word around a child knows it comes back to haunt them forever. We need to pray to God that we are a positive influence to these little ones everyday. The most important lesson I learned that day was God had a reason for telling the disciples to bring the little children to him. Children are so honest and open and ask the questions that adults are too embarrassed to ask. They believe what adults teach them at this age so it is a perfect time to teach them about this country and about God.

As we celebrate this 4th of July, share it with a child. Notice the sheer joy they have at being allowed to stay up past their bedtimes; share the wonder in their eyes when the fireworks light up the sky; and pay close attention to the way they trust someone bigger to protect them when the “big booms” come.

We really need to take a lesson from these little ones and remember we too have someone bigger to protect us from the “big booms” of the world. His name is Jesus and he will keep us safe in his loving arms. All we have to do is ask.