There is a little boy--I say little boy but he's not really little...he's ten--in my primary class who has some special needs. I don't know what to call it. I just know that approximately half of his body is quite unusable. Unusable as it is, with one foot dragging behind, he still walks around. His mind often seems like it is thinking about something else, but when you speak to him he smiles at you and you feel like he loves you. His speech is slow and at times difficult to understand, but speak to you he does, and it is with joy and confidence.
He started coming to church a couple of months ago and I got the understated "privilege" of having him in my class. I don't know if it was just coincidence, but there has been a depth of spirit that has come into our class since he started being there. The kids are a little better behaved, which is saying a lot because they're good kids. They act kindly and understandingly toward him. He loves offering prayers. The first time he volunteered to offer our class' benediction, he dragged himself to stand up at the front of the class. It soon became apparent to me that he would need assistance, so I asked him, "Do you want some help?" He nodded his head. What did I say about confidence?...and humility? He has become the unofficial prayer giver for our closing prayers every week.
FAITH. During sharing time he sits by me. Not long after he started coming he asked me why he didn't have any scriptures. I told him that we would love to get him some of his own someday. Not wanting to wait to receive one, he then raised his hand and told the primary president. Within minutes he had, in his good hand, a copy of the Book of Mormon with his name on the inside cover. I didn't waste any time to start flipping through the pages. He didn't know how to read it but he followed with enthusiasm. I pointed to a picture of the Savior in the front pages and asked him to tell me who it was.
He said, "JESUS. I like Him."
Then he repeated the same question back to me and said, pointing to the picture, "Tell me who that is." I replied with the appropriate response.
A couple of weeks ago, we were practicing parts in the primary room for the upcoming Primary Sacrament Program. There is a step when coming down from the podium to be careful about. Members of the presidency were conscious of the risk and so they helped him safely down. As he neared the rear end of the sharing-time room to take his seat, he tripped and took a spill. As I said, his left foot trails behind quite a bit. Everyone gasped at the site, and I jumped to his side to help him up. By the time I was able to grab his arm he was almost to his feet. He's a strong kid. We quickly took our seats as the primary began singing the next musical number.
He leaned towards me and asked with a smile on his face, "Did you see how fast I got up?"
I tried to match his enthusiasm with my response.
Then he asked, "How fast was it?"
With, I imagine, tears coming to my eyes, I told him it was about a second.
He knows only one primary song, "I am a Child of God", and he not only knows it, but you kind of get the feeling that he knows it. It is so exciting to sit with him during singing time. Usually, the chorister accepts song requests from the children. I help him know when to raise his hand to be the first one with his hand up so the chorister will call on him. Again, what was that about confidence. Everyone expects now and it's a little easier to get his song picked. Rather, I think people look forward to it. I don't cry very much, but it's so touching that I often feel like crying. Sometimes it's so bad that I have a hard time singing. Just writing this post makes me feel emotional. I feel more like a child when I think about him. I feel closer to my Heavenly Father, and a greater desire to do good.
I guess I just wanted to share some of the things about this young boy that have made me feel so close to Heavenly Father. I keep feeling tears come up. I hope it does the same thing for you.
Jesus called [the children] unto him, and said, "Suffer little children to come unto me...for of such is the kingdom of God." Luke 18:16
And it came to pass that he commanded that their little children should be brought. So they brought their little children and set them down upon the ground round about him, and Jesus stood in the midst; and the multitude gave way till they had all been brought unto him...And he spake unto the multitude, and said unto them: Behold your little ones. And as they looked to behold they cast their eyes towards heaven, and they saw the heavens open, and they saw angels descending out of heaven as it were in the midst of fire; and they came down and encircled those little ones about, and they were encircled about with fire; and the angels did minister unto them. 3 Nephi 17: 11-12, 23-24
Thank God for children. I have my work cut out for me!
For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father. Mosiah 3:19
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