Joy And Peace From A Child

Dr. Bryant Kirkland, pastor of 5th Ave. Pres. Church in NY was traveling to do a series of sermons on the west coast. He needed time on that 3 hour flight to study and prepare, so he buckled down and let everyone near me feel the tension. His body language said, "Don't bother me, I'm a busy man with places to go and work to do." A young woman and a baby slipped into the seat next to me. I knew it was going to be difficult, so I kept a straight face and looked very Presbyterian. It lasted 6 minutes. Pretty soon this little boy began fussing around. "Man, man," he cooed up at me. I couldn't resist. I put my sermon back into my briefcase, picked him up and just loved him all the way across the country. When we landed in LA his mother said to me "Thank you for doing that. He lost his father not long ago. He hasn't had a man to muss him up like that and love him. Thank you so much." And Dr. Kirkland says he realized as he got off the plane and pushed into the crowd just how much joy and peace that little boy had brought into his own heart when he was least prepared for it to happen. Sometimes a child can do that-- get into a heart that has been locked up tight for years and bring peace.