Listening to the Littlest

When Colin and Tyler were younger, they both went through a phase where they often refused to leave the house without an eyeliner mustache.  I honestly can't remember what started the trend; I just remember sitting them on my bathroom counter and watching their eyes light up when they saw their mustaches in the mirror.

There never seemed to be any rhyme or reason behind their desire to have a mustache one day and go without one the next.  When they wanted one, they would simply appear when I was putting on my make up, and I would draw one on.

It was during their mustache phases that I came to an important conclusion about one of the greatest miracles of childhood.  Small children are blessed with a gift that we are all born with but after a time lose.  They are able to hear God's voice and follow his guidance without question.  In a crowded room, they can still pick out the unique cadence of his voice and with unwavering trust do as he asks because it wasn't so long ago, that all they knew was the kindness of his arms and the warmth of his love in heaven.  

I came to this realization one day when I was in Wal-Mart with my mustached men.  That day, I took a moment to actually observe the reactions the mustaches provoked in other people.  It was amazing.  I watched the light return to an old man's eyes when he saw them.  I stopped to chat with him awhile, and he confessed that he'd recently lost his wife.   Sometimes he came to Wal-Mart when the loneliness was to much.  That day my mustached men filled his heart with joy, an emotion he hadn't felt in quite a while. 

I observed a middle age woman's footsteps become a little lighter after she stopped to smile and chuckle at the boys.  Apparently her sons were off at college, and she enjoyed taking a moment to remember. 

Then there was the pregnant woman who delighted in daydreaming about what motherhood had in store for her, and the single woman who smiled because she was no doubt dreaming of what might be.

My mustached men served a greater purpose that day.  They were a reminder of all the good that this world has to offer.  They brought joy and hope to everyone they met because that morning they listened when God whispered in their little ears, "Today I need you to remind people that in a world filled with sadness there is always joy, there is always hope, and there is always happiness."  

Keep this in mind when your little one insists on leaving the house dressed as a Power Ranger, a Ninja Turtle, or a Disney Princess.  Just smile, tell them you think they look amazing, and be thankful that you get to be a small part of the amazing gift of joy they are planning on delivering that day.