Lessons from the Least of These
Why do our children seem to embody this Christian virtue so much more than we do as adults?
Then the King will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’ (Matthew 25:34-40)
One of Jesus’ most countercultural messages for his followers is this idea of serving the “least of these”, or those most vulnerable, most in need, and most pushed to the outskirts of society. When we serve those whom others shun, we serve Christ.
For many Christians, and certainly for myself before I became a mother, I considered the least of these to be groups like the homeless, the disabled, and the isolated elderly. I never considered that children could (and should) be included as the least of these, as well. In a world where more than 70 million children are murdered every year due to the horrors of abortion, the youngest among us are the most at-risk group in existence. Not to mention the other crimes our society regularly commits against our kids, such as a tragically broken foster care system, evil modern medical practices, and a general anti-kids attitude in public life.
As much as I could say about how our kids deserve far better from us than what we’re currently giving them, I want to focus this post on a tangential lesson we get from Jesus’ emphasis on serving those who are most vulnerable:
We not only have much that we owe* to the least of these - our attention, time, resources, love - but we have much we can learn from them, as well.
I want to share with you a story close to my heart to illustrate. Our second son was born this year. After spending my introduction to motherhood struggling through a serious bout of colic, this second newborn phase has been an absolute joy. When I was reflecting on why it’s been so wonderful - after all, there are just as many poopy diapers and nighttime feedings and aches and pains from the delivery as last time, plus a wild toddler to chase after, too - I realized it’s because our 4-month-old already embodies a certain Christian ideal I’ve wanted to cultivate in my own life for years:
“I’m just glad to be here.”
It doesn’t matter what he’s doing (maybe except tummy time). He could be laying under a mobile, sitting in someone’s arms, eating, sleeping, watching his big brother make a mess at dinner, riding in the car… He’s content just to get to experience life.
If you’ve ever met a small baby, you’ll recognize this image: he’s recently become fascinated with his hands. He brings them together, almost like he’s praying, then shoves them in his mouth. Then, he’ll lay there, happy as clam almost indefinitely.
He often giggles to himself when the little animals on his mobile spin around. He smiles at anyone who smiles at him. He wakes up happy, cooing and wriggling with excitement when I pick him up. When he’s sleepy, he yawns to let me know, then patiently waits until I have a moment free to put him down for a nap.
It’s been incredible to watch how others respond to this innate sense of joy . They adore him. Everyone wants to hold him, to kiss his fuzzy head. He’s brought healing to some of our family with heavy emotional burdens.
Life is the most precious gift we’re given, since without it we cannot experience what it means to be human, to be made exclusively for the purpose of loving and being loved. So, not only should life be protected - from conception to natural death - it should be embraced with joyful gratitude every moment between these two points.
Through no doing of my own, our little baby already has this joyful gratitude. He reminds me every day that one of the most important qualities to have as a Christian is infectious joy. And, this sort of joy comes from being grateful simply for the opportunity to experience whatever God has chosen for us in this moment. Every emotion, tear, toddler tantrum, bedtime story, sleepless night, every interaction with a stranger out in the world, every struggle, every triumph, they’re all part of the greater gift of being alive. Though God had an infinite number of other people who could’ve created, he chose to create you. He chose to love you.
And, in every moment of this life, he continues to choose you, to love you, and to give you another opportunity to experience his love through this extraordinary gift of life. Even in trials and hardship, he wants for his children to be at peace, to know joy.
He wants us to be able to say, genuinely, “I’m just glad to be here.”
~ Cameron
*For a great example of this radical Christian view, here’s a quote from St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan and Church Father who lived in the 300s: “When giving to the poor, you are not giving him what is yours; rather, you are paying him back what is his. Indeed, what is common to all, and has been given to all to make use of, you have usurped for yourself alone. The earth belongs to all, and not only to the rich . . . You are paying him back, therefore, your debt; you are not giving gratuitously what you do not owe.” (emphasis added)