Facebook or face to face

I saw a beautiful thing this week: a helper and a little girl were walking hand in hand, talking and laughing together. It was so wonderful I stopped for a minute and just watched. Then I asked myself, "why does this scene touch me so much?" and I realized that I hadn't seen it in a long time. Instead I see helpers holding their cell phones in one hand with a young child trailing from the others. The child often looks bored to death, while the helper has her face glued to her screen. 

I know parents behave the same way and I want to say "For God's sake, please stop!" The child next to you in created in the image of God and deserves your attention and time. You have the rare privilege of building something of worth into their lives. The child you care for has the potential to change the world for better or worse. The values and love you pour into their lives will shape who they become. 

If you are a mother - do you want those caring for your kids back in the Philippines to be glued to their phones, while ignoring your children? Then why would act that way? Please put away your phone and discover the sheer joy and imagination that is inside of that child next to you. For their sake, for your own sake, for the sake of the future - don't be a half-hearted helper. Serve with your whole heart, your whole attention.