Lessons from Children

Sometimes we are amazed at how much our children take in and understand about our life in Sojourners Community. In fact, we are often startled by their perceptions of things and how their little reflections and expressions become such important lessons to us.

Annie Soley was 3 years old at the time. Her mother, Ginny, had had a hard day. Around bedtime Annie was fooling around, as kids are prone to do, when her mom lost her patience and scolded her. Annie's feelings were hurt. Ginny felt bad too. Later Ginny came back into Annie's room and apologized to her little daughter for being short with her. As it was told to me, the conversation went something like this:

Ginny: "I'm sorry I got angry and raised my voice with you, Annie. I had a hard day with lots of pressures on me."

Annie: "So lots of pressures makes you yell at small children?

"I guess so, Annie. I'm really sorry."

"It's okay, Mom. But you know what I think?"

"What, Annie?"

"I think you need to go to the park with me tomorrow, just to play. You shouldn't work, and we'll play instead. I think you'll feel a lot better, Mom."

"That sounds like a good idea, Annie. Tomorrow we'll go to the park."

"Good, but tonight it's dark and we can't go to the park. You know what I think you should do tonight, Mom?"

"What, Annie?"

"I think you should kiss me goodnight, and then go into the other room, sit in the rocking chair, and pray for a while."

Ginny spent the next hour. in prayer. And the next day Ginny and Annie went to the park. Annie was right; Ginny felt a lot better.

Annie is now 5 years old. A few weeks ago when Ginny was putting her to bed one night, Annie was very troubled. She was talking about South Africa and about all the people being killed there. She had especially been struck by news reports about people being hung.

Annie asked her mother about what it meant to be hung, what it was like, and how people died from it. Ginny was concerned about bad dreams and said to her daughter, "You know, Annie, I don't think these are good things for a little girl to think about just before she goes to bed." At that point Annie broke into tears, "But, Mommy, Jesus wants us to worry about people dying!"

Michael and Nathan Tamialis were watching "The Day After" with their parents, Barb and Jim. The controversial TV movie depicted the consequences of a nuclear war. Michael was 9 years old at the time and watched intently. He sat through the whole thing and afterward exclaimed, "I sure hope the president was watching that!" Then he turned to his dad and said, "Well, we better get our legs in shape 'cause we got a whole lot of march-in' ahead."

When his mom chose to do civil disobedience the following Pentecost in protest of the Nuclear Train, Michael wanted to be arrested too. "I want to act for peace with my community," he said. We persuaded him to wait until he got a little older.

Michael loves fishing. At 11 years old, he may be the youngest subscriber to Field and Stream. Recently he has been receiving materials from the National Rifle Association asking him to join. He is quite indignant and says he needs to write them a letter.

Who was it who said, "Except you become like little children, you cannot enter the kingdom of God"?

Jim Wallis is editor-in-chief of Sojourners.