Lessons from a Five Year Old

The Bible tell us that the older shall teach the young...but I believe it is also true in the reverse.

I have written and yelled from the mountain tops how much I love my new job at ACCESS. I look forward to going to the shelter each day to truly see what God has in store. He never fails to amaze me at His goodness and His provision.

The other day I was busy completing an unordinary amount of paperwork when a young five year tugged on my leg and said "would you play with me." I had a choice. I could continue in the busyness of my day or stop and play with a child who spends her days in a shelter. I chose the latter and grabbed her little pudgy hand and skipped off to play.

When we entered the playroom I suggested that we do a puzzle. How hard could that be? I mean I could quickly do the puzzle, satisfy her want to play and quickly return to work. I thought I was really smart when I chose a new one assuring that all the pieces would be there and would speed up our play time.

We began the process and soon fifteen minutes had passed and our Barney puzzle was still very much incomplete. I looked at my darling little friend and suggested that we quit and play again later. What happened next left me speechless and in tears. This precious child looked me square in the eye and said "never quit Miss Joy...never quit." A child who at this time in her life is homeless and living in a shelter is telling me not to quit. She is telling a grown woman, who knows where she will be sleeping tonight, knows what she will be eating tonight...to never quit.

We began working again on our puzzle and fifteen minutes later we were finished.

We celebrated our victory with high fives and loud cheers. What a lesson I learned that day from a pre-schooler?