So, after lunch, I started handing them out. There was one little boy in the room, so I gave him one first. Then I gave one to each of the adults in the room. I made sure that I saved some for the kids in the other room and thought I'd give them some later when they came out after napping.
Well, the little boy I gave the first sucker to went and grabbed one of the kids out of the other room and brought him to me so that he could get one, too. He went back again and grabbed another boy and brought him in. Then he went and got the little girl and brought her to me.
After all of the kids in the family had one, all of the kids left and went outside. I was beginning to see a pattern. That first little boy I gave a sucker to was going to bring every one of his friends to me to make sure they got a sucker, too. I could also see a problem in that I didn't have enough suckers for the whole neighborhood. Sure enough, he brought several of his friends back to the house. Now, none of them was brave enough to come all the way in to ask for a sucker, and I didn't extend the invitation because I knew I didn't have enough.
Here's what I saw. That first little boy received something that was really good, a sucker. He wasn't just happy to have his own sucker, though. He wanted all of his friends to have a sucker, too. So, he went out and brought them one at a time to me so that they could enjoy it with him.
I think this is how the spreading of the gospel takes place. And, I pray that it begins to happen here in Senegal. It just takes one person receiving the good news, seeing the gift they've been given, and going and sharing it with someone else. Fortunately, we can bring all of our friends to God and never have to worry about Him running out.
As followers of Jesus, we've been given such a great gift. I pray that I don't just sit and enjoy it by myself. The joy of salvation can be multiplied by sharing it with those around me.
This is a great life lesson from a little boy. No wonder Jesus said, "The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Lord, make me like this child, running to bring my friends to You.
This is the boy who wanted to share with all of his friends. May he one day bring them to Jesus for something even better than a sucker.
