Sometimes we adults are privileged to be able to witness a child struggling with fissures of the heart that break open young eyes to a stream of discord shattering the worlds of others. Harmony – the exquisite fitting-together of musical notes that fills us with a sense of ‘rightness’ – was the theme of this week’s Salt Shakers (3rd-5th graders) mission trip. We took seriously the words of the Apostle Paul, “We look at the Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created…He was supreme in the beginning and – leading the resurrection parade – he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he’s there, towering far above everything, everyone. So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe – people and things, animals and atoms – get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies..” (Colossians 1:15-20, The Message).
We started (and ended) our mission trip in our own backyard, and maybe it was the close proximity of brokenness and dislocation that splintered the hearts of our young people. I watched as one of our youngest Salt Shakers spent time coaxing an abandoned and abused dog to enjoy the freedom of walking in the sunshine with her. Squatting to whisper in the frightened animal’s ear, she winced as the dog cowered and whimpered and resisted her good intentions. I stood, heart-broken, as she handed the leash to an adult volunteer and, head hung low, walked through the field of weeds behind the pens and cried. What must it be like, I wondered, to witness the aftermath of human cruelty – perhaps for the first time – and feel helpless in the face of it? The words of an old song, popular around campfires in the 60’s, came back to me, “Kum ba yah, my Lord, kum ba yah.” “Come by here, my Lord, come by here.”
Four tow-headed preschoolers clung to their mother’s side at the shelter for women and children victimized by domestic abuse. In the face of the frazzled, worried young woman who was clinging to the end of her rope, I saw a life torched by fear. Apparently her children sensed her desperation, too, and they filled the windowless cafeteria with their sorrow. Hearing their childish, painful lament, our young people turned away and huddled around other tables with squirmy children eager to accept their offers of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, chips, and gooey cupcakes. What must it be like, I wondered, to witness the aftermath of human cruelty – perhaps for the first time – and feel helpless in the face of it? Finally, a handful of the older Salt Shakers approached the young mother, “Can we take your kids outside to play?” they stammered politely. Wearily she shooed her children away from the crumb-filled table and out the door, “Go on, go on, get outta here!” Moments later I pried open the film-covered glass doors and listened to the awkward beginnings of healing tenderness, “Hey! What’s your name?” “Do you like to play football?” “Want me to push you in this car?” “What’s your favorite cartoon?” “I like those Superman socks.” “You can do it! Just hang on to the ladder like this and climb.” “I’ll catch you at the bottom of the slide. You won’t fall!” I closed the door, and the words of an old song, popular around campfires in the 60’s, came back to me, “Kum ba yah, my Lord, kum ba yah.” “Come by here, my Lord, come by here.”
Reflecting on the harmony of all things, a mystic poet wrote,
Every particle of the world is a mirror,
in each atom lies the blazing light
of a thousand suns.
Cleave the heart of a rain-drop,
a hundred pure oceans will flow forth.
Look closely at a grain of sand,
the seed of a thousand beings can be seen.”
For those who work hand-in-hand with our young people with the words of an old song running through their heads, “Kum ba yah, my Lord, hum ba yah” I add these sentiments:
In the sweet murmurings of a dog-loving young girl,
echoes of an endless heaven can be heard.
Swing wide the doors of the hearts of timid boys brimming with youthfulness,
rivers of love, balms of healing, gush forth.
Though the inner chambers of their hearts are small,
the Lord, the Fixer of the Broken and Dislocated,
gladly comes by here
and makes his home with them
filling their worlds with vibrant harmony.
My gratitude for all those adult volunteers who helped make our summer mission trips wonderful, faith-filled experiences for our young people and for our young people who changed our lives by reminding us that God is ever-present in us and our world!