Listening to children

I’m reading a little book called The Alchemist, written by Paulo Coelho.

One of my favorite parts so far is when Santiago, the shepherd, tells a gypsy about his recurring dream. Santiago says that, in the dream, a child tells him that his treasure can be found at the base of the pyramids in Egypt.

The gypsy says something like: “If a child said it, it must be true.”

The gypsy’s comment echoes my experience. Children are wiser than adults. Usually, if a child says it, it is true.

No wonder we tell them to hush.

This is why I think children should be at the forefront of church life. They know what we adults have forgotten in the process of growing up. Because of this, they are closer to God.

I also read a book by an angry atheist this summer. He believes the church commits great evil by indoctrinating children with religion when they are too naive to know fact from fiction.

I guess I have more faith in children. I see their open hearts and ability to understand the unseen as great assets in the church -- and in the world. The trouble is the adults who try to dismiss them.

If a child said it, it must be true.

We better start listening.