Within a few minutes of each other, I watched two kids playing. A little girl was climbing on a pile of asphalt chunks. Within an arm’s reach, a working had a jackhammer going, breaking the large pieces into smaller ones. Blissfully in her own world, her smile and sparkling eyes were visible to anyone willing to see. In her young age, my guess is five or six, she has discovered a sense of peace and happiness in a single moment that many of us spend a lifetime searching for.
The second was a young boy of a similar age. The setting was a dusty side road that was a shortcut to my hotel. The road was almost empty. The scene was dominated by a few large pieces of paving equipment. As we drove by, the boy was walk past the machines in awe. His attention was focused on the machines. His hands were wandering across the surface, blissfully unaware of the Indian dirt and grime. These were, in his expressions to an outside answer, works of amazing art. They were here to be admired and touched. Someday he would operate one. He was certain of his future.
In the moment, they appeared to have it all – happiness, wonder, and a sense of the possible. It is easy to get lost in the moment. One writer commented that he “wish[ed] everyone were single like me—a simpler life in many ways! But celibacy is not for everyone any more than marriage is. God gives the gift of the single life to some, the gift of the married life to others.” (1 Corinthians 7.7)
For these two street kids in India, there is much to be afraid of. Life is uncertain. Their future is unwritten. I believe God is with them as Divinity is with you and me. Single or married, rich or poor, we have the opportunity to be present. We can make a difference wherever we find ourselves. Our standing comes from the freedom we have within. We can use it to make a difference.
