The Heart of a Child

“When I see the children, I see hope, for it is the little child that loves without reservation, and it is the little child that finds joy in the simplest of things.  The heart of the child knows no hatred, no envy, no jealousy, no prejudice, and no pride.  A child’s heart is changed with time and a child can be shaped and molded by tenderness, goodness, and love, but a child’s heart can also be shaped and molded by the absence of tenderness, goodness, and love. 

We can shape our own destiny as adults, but who we are has been influenced by the experiences that began with life itself.  Tenderness resides in the soul of all mankind, but to be expressed it must at times do battle with all the hurt, the pain, the hatred, the envy, the jealousy, the prejudice, and the selfishness that resides within the same soul.  

We were all created by the Lord unto good works, but to do that which is good is not always easy if the values of love and goodness are buried beneath the darkness of hatred and selfishness.  Hatred and prejudice will never make me strong for they rob the soul of goodness, love, and mercy.  Words meant to ridicule, belittle, and hurt will not cause words of love and light to easily flow from my lips, but deep within my soul there is a pattern of light and love that will overcome and overthrow all the darkness that I have seen and done in my life. 

To love can be more difficult than to hate, and to forgive can be more difficult than to condemn, but if I believe that deep within me there is a better man, a child of light, a child of innocence and love, and if I will let that child rule in my soul, I can walk in that hope, and I can be as the little child, and I can return unto that place where I can love without reservation and walk in the joy of a life created unto good works.”