The Swing Set

The shade of a few oak trees is a beautiful thing when you’ve been outside in the Texas heat trying to keep up with all the curious actions and minds of children. I caught myself in this glorious oasis today with my heart melting from something different than the 100+ degree weather. It was in this shade that I found myself pushing 4 children on the swings from our youngest age group at Urban Connection. Their soft, sweet voices, one after another, kept saying, “Higher Mr. James, higher,” as they would begin to slow down having not yet learned how to tuck their feet and kick them forward to keep themselves going. Their giggles and laughs could only make me smile as I breathed like a horse trying to match their insistent pleas of my master pushing skills. As I repeated this new laborious activity, a lofty thought passed through my mind, “This might be some of the only positive attention these children will get today. So many of the children in this city don’t have a male figure to even push one of them on the swings. And here I am, a 21-year-old college student, getting the opportunity to have just a little moment in their lives, even if it is just pushing them on the swings. Wow!” My eyes, admittedly, were a little watery as time wrapped up and they hopped off the swings and raced to grab my hand to be lead off the playground and to their next to activity. My heart was full of joy and a humbled gratefulness as their little arms were almost fully extended just to reach my hand. You see, I too was the child that wanted to be pushed on the swing set but this was the oh-so-common swing set of life. I once was sitting on a cold swing with no direction or force to change my static life, feeling all alone on a cruel playground with countless bullies to tell me of my worthlessness. This is when Jesus came up and with the slightest, softest pushes began giving me an excitement and direction to a once purposeless life. He Himself took the burden of the weight that the chains held and gave motion to my once motionless life, while at the same time reassuring me of my new found worth in Him. Where would I be without Him? I too, at times, find myself saying, “Higher Jesus, higher” when I might try to take credit for my newly transformed kinetic energy that is slowly dissipating from my inability to be the force that sustains it. He always faithfully responds though with the familiar soft pushes and smiles the warmest of smiles, as he knows that someday I will leave this playground too, holding His hand and ranting on and on about how great He is and how I can’t wait for what’s next. Thank you Jesus!

“…I have come that the may have life, and have it more abundantly.” – John 10:10