When I started working with FLOCK (Fern Lodge Ongoing Creative Kinship) this summer I did not know how I would manage a group of children by myself. I decided to start my days establishing that God is in control. My favorite idea was that God is taking care of everyone—especially the little ones.
One morning, while I was doing my metaphysical study, this passage from the Bible came to me: “Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein” (Luke 18:16-17). After spending a lot of time with the little ones throughout this summer, this idea began to make more sense to me. It was rewarding to feel that even though the kids were not Christian Scientists, they were open to the Truth—divine Love. For instance, on one of our field trips to the lake, one child said she was concerned about being sick. I gently reassured her, “you do not need to get sick.” I did not add anything else, but I was praying and affirming the truth about her as a child of God. I knew in my heart that she had the right to enjoy the trip without fear. We had an amazing time, and this girl was happy and was helpful, controlling the boat and caring for the younger kids. For me, this was a demonstration of how children are so open to the Truth. It is inspiring to see how ready they are to receive the kingdom of God.
The kids had so much energy, but whenever the temptation to feel stressed seemed real, I stopped and remembered the divine qualities that each child expresses. One day, I decided to think about each
child and all the qualities I had seen them expressing, such as creativity, innocence, curiosity, and many others. The quality they expressed that touched me the most was the deep care for their families, the staff and the patients at Fern Lodge. Another quality that stood out was their ability to trust goodness. It was amazing to see how kids have so much trust and feel sure that they will be provided for. This innocent thought taught me a huge lesson. I started noticing that we, as adults, need to be more like a child and trust that our dear Father is providing us with all the goodness, affection and love that we need.
One day, when they were playing outside, a little boy disappeared from sight. I looked for him everywhere, and I finally found him in the patient’s room. The little boy was talking and hugging this patient, expressing so much affection, love, and care. Seeing that the little boy was interacting with the patient made me realize how the innocence and sincerity of children brought healing and joy to our facility. Although working with a large group of little, energetic children seemed quite challenging at times, I felt that every single day brought a new opportunity to learn more about God because of their presence. This experience gave me the chance to ponder more deeply the qualities expressed by children, such as innocence, care, joy, and especially love. I am certain that those qualities brought a lot of healing to Fern Lodge. I do not have words to describe the blessing I experienced while working here. I am so grateful to be a part of the Fern Lodge family.