When Jesus Looks Like a Preschooler

These past couple of months I have been blessed to live in the most beautiful place in the world. I’ve been blessed to step out my front door and see the face of God every where I look, whether its in the bright blue Indian Ocean, the crisp mountains that surround us from every direction, the incredible sunrises or the multicolored sunsets that are perfectly unique every evening, or the friendly faces of our taxi driver friends. I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s impossible to escape the beauty of Cape Town, South Africa, and it’s impossible to deny that we serve a creative God that delights in even the slightest details. I’m completely overwhelmed when I think about the love that the Father must have for us, to care enough to give us gifts even through the scenery around us.
 
Even in the midst of all this, the best gift I have received comes in a package that looks a lot like a preschooler. I’ve spent almost everyday these past 3 months from 8 to 3 in the small classroom of a crèche – a South African preschool – with 20, 3 and 4 year old kids whom I love enough to call my own. I’ve found that Jesus looks a lot like Fatiema, Laiqa, Sergio, Khain, Janine, MyMoona, Mickayla, Login, Kiara, Chad, Jamie, Ebrahim, Leora, Kristy, Jenelee, Jenevee, Chelsea, Casey, Tyler, Anthea, teacher Heidi.
 
You see, you tend to learn a lot about yourself and Jesus when you spend so much time with crazy children like these. I think its safe to say that these kids are cute little messes. When you look out the window of our classroom you see the deep blue Indian Ocean and mountains to your right and the countless wooden shacks that most of my kids call home to your left. The crèche I volunteer in is in a township called Ocean View, which is a pretty poverty stricken community. Some of the children live in foster homes, but the rest live with parents who love them but struggle with providing for their families. I don’t know the details of what my kids go home to everyday, but I know their little eyes see a lot of violence, poverty, and abuse. So naturally, that is what comes to school with them everyday. A lot of fighting, screaming, misbehaving.
 
This is where Jesus comes in.
 
In the beginning especially, these kids were a lot to handle. All my prayers seemed to sound like this: more grace, more patience, more love. I was so quick to fall short of all of these. I thought I was a pretty patient person, but this called me to a whole new level. All of the kids would act perfect when Teacher Heidi was in the room but purposely give me a hard time whenever she stepped out, so it was a challenge to have grace. But above all, the whisper in my heart consistently tells me “Kaci, they just need to be loved.” “Love them like I love you.”
 
And just like that, it becomes clear. My relationship with Jesus looks a lot like these preschoolers. Except the love of my Teacher is unconditional. How many times do I choose the world over Jesus, and His grace has never ran out? How many times have I made the wrong choices and Jesus has always had patience with me? How many times do I fight, mess up, act selfishly, lose patience, and Jesus’s love for me has never ever changed? His mercies are new every morning. And He just wants me to come to Him with the faith of these little children. Excited to sit in His lap, completely filled with innocence and joy. That’s when we truly begin to experience the kingdom of Heaven.
 
So now when they are loud and wild, I look on them with grace like Jesus would. I tie their shoes like Jesus would. I take them to the bathroom like Jesus would. I play with them on the playground like Jesus would. I kiss them when they get a “sore” like Jesus would. I pray over them at nap time like Jesus would. I hold them and hug them when they want me to or not, and pray that they don’t feel my love but the love of Jesus because an encounter with Jesus now could potentially change the course of these young ones lives forever.
 
My heart may actually rip in two when I have to say goodbye to my 20 little best friends, but I know that I saw Jesus in our small classroom in the crèche and I know He’ll still be there when I’m gone.
 
“And He said: ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.’” Matthew 18:3