The berries are hidden deep in the bushes and I stand on tiptoe to reach them. Juicy, squishy ripe. Thorns catch and scratch. Here they are, berries for you! Taste the tangy, summery goodness! Enjoy this glorious moment with me!
She takes them in her hand... And drops them on the ground, stares dully down.
Sigh, child, why would you do that? Don't you know I pricked my fingers getting that for you? Aren't you thankful?! Be thankful! Make this moment a nice one!
Voices bang around, rattling the brain, skewing perceptions.
Her eyes, it's in her eyes. She is so tired. A long hot day. The beginnings of a fever. She's fighting something off. The berries were heavy to her. Sometimes gifts are heavy and love seems too much.
Mainstream parenting says Fine! You don't want it? You won't get it. Ungrateful. I'm not picking it up, not playing your silly game!
But servant leadership says give. Give if they aren't thankful for the gift. Give if they trod it underfoot and laugh in your face. Keep giving. Bend the knee, open the hand. Open hands are open hearts. Understand, give the benefit of the doubt, have compassion, mercy, grace.
Do you know what Christ did for you? I mean, do you even?!
I bend and hand it back to her, head cocked. Is this just a game? If so, that's OK, I want to know where that is coming from, too. But this time her little hand lifts the berry to her mouth. The slow sweetness spreading into a smile on her face. A face which moments later sleeps soft against me, for indeed she was tired (and did end up sick that evening.)
How do I want her to respond to others? That is how I'll treat her. Kindness. It's just a little example, a teeny tiny one, really. Maybe even a silly one. But one of a hundred in a day. A million in a life time. And I hope it will add up to a lifetime of kindness to others.
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