God's Children

God's Children.
We come in all different shapes, sizes and colors.
Some are old, some are very young, and then there are 
those of us who are smack dab in the middle. 


We have good jobs, good grades, and we go to church 
because we should. We're clean cut and smell good. 
Our families intact. These are God's children. Right? 


Last week, after we read our devotion, I gave my children 
a talk about how Jesus reached out to the lowest people 
in his time. The outcasts, thieves, loners, etc. 
And, how we should try and do the same. 


A week later, in came a very sweet, unknown little person 
that my children had invited over to play. They offered 
him a cup, and told him to help himself to the fridge 
for a drink of juice.  A stranger was looking 
in my refrigerator! I held the same feeling of alarm 
as if he went shuffling through my underwear drawer. 


But, eventually I could see that the child was harmless, 
and I quieted down and settled in to read a good book.


Twenty minutes later, all the children went outside to play. 
I went in to check out our playroom where the children 
had been playing. An odor seemed to hang in the air
of the room. It was awful! This child had very bad B.O., 
and I happen to have a very sensitive nose! 


So, I was debating weather to allow my kids to play 
with him or not. I decided it was best to wait for my husband 
to arrive home from work in order to ask him. So I did. 
What should we do? Should we let this child come over 
to play in the future? Or should we keep our distance? 
My husband told me to let the child come over to play.  


Then, no sooner did my husband finish answering the question, 
did I hear God say, "Uh-hmm! Remember that talk 
that you gave to the kids last week? How I reached out to misfits? 
Well, they don't always smell the best. Or dress the best. 
You asked me to show you a way to reach out.
And here he is.....a little blond headed, blue eyed boy."


I think that it's easy when God calls us to do His clean work.
The easy stuff. The stuff we enjoy doing, with the people that we
enjoy doing it with. And, I think that it's easy to write off those 
children of His that smell badly, who may not have the best clothes,
or whose house isn't picked up and in perfect order.
But, these are the ones who may most need to know 
that God loves them. Because they are God's children too.  


"Then the King will say to those on the right, "Come, you who 
are blessed by my father; take our inheritance, the kingdom prepared 
for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you 
gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something
to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in. "    (Matt. 25:34-35)


"Then the righteous will answer him, "Lord, when did we see you
hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?
When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes
and clothe you?"    (Matt. 25:37-38)


"The King will reply, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did 
for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."   
(Matt. 25:40)