To Love a Child

I've been reading rather widely lately, mostly blogs that interest me. I was fortunate enough to find this blog post today in my survey of goodies. And it just hit me right in the pit of my stomach.

I know that this article is about love for an adopted child, but what kills me, is thinking about all children, biological or adopted. What if we approached being parents to any children with this mindset? Or what about being spouses with this mindset? Or family members, or community members, or simply people in this world? What if?

So many people will quote the famous 2 Corinthians passage. So many will say that it is their favorite passage in the Bible. So many people know parts of it by heart. And yet, as the days pass, it sometimes seems to me that fewer and fewer truly look at this passage as a possibility, as a path, as a way to approach life. No matter the language, the creed, or the culture, one can find much wisdom in passages like these. And yet, as revered as it is, I have seen few people apply it to their lives the way this writer has done.

I know, none of this is anything new. And none of this is earth-shattering. Be kind. Look at things from the other perspective. Allow yourself to open to new ideas, new ways of seeing and knowing. Be true, not only in doing unto others, but also in not doing to others what you would not have others do to you. Being aware of consequences, and teaching those by example. None of this is new. But is it earth-shattering? Or perhaps, the better question is, could this be earth-shattering, if it were more common in our world?

How much do we change the world when we change the way we love a child?