The sun was softly setting.

Children were running to and fro. Their parents were chasing them.

In the distance, one could hear the muffled sound of baseball coaches yelling out commands and directions for the team. “Strrrriiiiiiiiike one,” I heard coming from a particular diamond.

And there we sat on the grassy hill. The wind was whipping our hair and we were enjoying the sights and sounds.

She tugged at my sleeve and broke my relaxing reverie.

“Ms. Kristin, what can I dooooo?” she pleaded. Inwardly, I began complaining. ‘Did she really have to interrupt my thoughts? Isn’t this enough to keep you occupied?’

She began digging through my purse and eventually found my iPod.

“Kristin, can I listen to this?” she asked. “Sure,” I replied. Although she’s only six, this little one is very bright and can read very well. Soon, she had both headphones in her ears jamming out to a song.

I cringed. ‘Should six year old’s really be listening to iPods? Wouldn’t she become attached to it or something?’ I set these thoughts aside and quietly smiled at her.

A few minutes passed and I returned to my relaxing thoughts. Suddenly, her voice cut through again. But this time, she wasn’t nagging me. I almost went back to my own thoughts, but her motions and voice caught my attention.

She was kneeling on the ground. Her arms were raised towards the sky and her voice rang out in song to her Savior. She didn’t care who was watching her. She didn’t mind if her voice was out of tune.

Tears began falling down my cheeks. This is child-like faith. This little girl has been through so much in her short life, and yet here she was praising God. My thoughts began to wander once more, ‘Why can’t I be a little girl again, God? I want to be carefree again….to push everything aside and just focus on you.’ And in the gentle breeze, He whispered to me, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Being a child once more should not be embarrassing. It’s what God wants from us.