Rod & Rose

Even with so many extraordinary experiences in Kenya, there’s one thing that comes to mind that warms my heart the most. I was sitting under a beautiful tree where we had set up for a Sunday morning service, and the music was playing, and the people were singing and dancing. I noticed one little girl—maybe two or three years old—standing nearby. She had been looking at me rather intently for several minutes.

Lots of little kids, and adults, had been looking curiously at me, simply because many of them had never seen a white guy. Some kids actually cried when they saw me, thinking I was a ghost.  But this little girl seemed different. In stealth mode, I held my hand palm up on my lap, slightly in her direction. I continued to sing, pretending not to notice as she walked ever so slowly toward me. My heart was warmed when she cautiously reached out her little hand, and placed it ever so gently on mine. We connected, and I can still remember the deep feeling of gratitude for such a precious and priceless moment in time.

It’s easy to miss these special moments, simply because we’re not looking for them. We’re distracted by all the activity going on around us…and within us. Today as you go about your day, take a moment every now and then to take a look around, just to see if God is offering you a special sense of his presence. There’s no telling how he might gently place his hand in yours.

“You should clothe yourselves…with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.” ~1 Peter 3:4