A Tribute to the World's Greatest Father

Today is Father’s Day a day that is set aside to give thanks for our earthly fathers. Today I know that unfortunately many in our world do not have or did not have a good relationship with their father for various reasons but I am very thankful for my father. Permit me to share a few insights that I have realized over the years concerning my father and how I believe he has displayed qualities that make him the world’s best father.

            First off, my father Arthur Daniel Goldsmith has given me his name, Daniel. My parents like to joke that they ran out of names to name their firstborn! The truth is that I am actually Daniel the fourth as my great grandfather, my grandfather, my dad and me were all named Daniel. I view this name with great delight as it means my father cherished himself as he cherishes me. The name also is a reminder that I should have a relationship with God as the very name means God is my Judge.  Just as my earthly father cares for me and looked out for me my heavenly father looks out for me and cares for me and desires that I live for him.

            Secondly, I am thankful for my father in that he has taken time out of his busy schedule over the years to spend time with me on an individual basis. For all my life my father has been involved in full-time Christian service be it as a pastor or in other capacities in ministry. I know that there have been times when he has mentioned that he felt he didn’t spend as much time with my siblings and myself as much as he felt he should and maybe sometimes I felt that too, but I have many fond memories of times being alone with him and also as a family. To this day I can still remember a trip he and I took to Saskatchewan when I was 8 years old and he was a representative of a mission called the Janz Team showing films to churches and schools. We went to Briercrest, just he and I, and I can still remember various aspects of our time together. I believe it is even more special to me in that it was just about a month after that trip in 1970 that I could have been orphaned in an accident, which I mentioned in a previous blog, my parents had. It was very special. There have been other times as well such as going to the radio station in Vernon, B.C. with him around the time of my fifth birthday and watching him do his radio broadcast and it was just he and I.

            Over the years other children maybe did have more time with their fathers but after the games or whatever it seems that fathers think that they have done their duty and that is good enough. My father took an interest in us not only by once in a while watching us at our swimming lessons or in my case coming to hear my attempts at speaking in college or even when I was a pastor but also encourage me and my siblings in what we did. I cherish the many walks I have had with my father over the years, and especially the more recent years as these have been times when I felt I have gotten to know my father and his heart and also been able to share my concerns about different things with him. Yes, maybe other fathers say they spend lots of time with their kids but I am thankful for the quality times I had with my dad.

            Thirdly I am thankful that my father has been a role model to me in so many ways. As I said earlier I realize that there are many in society today that don’t have good recollections of their father or even know their father but my father has been the kind of father that gives me a good idea of my heavenly Father. I am thankful that my father has shown to me how a man should treat his wife. Though I have never had privilege of being married I have watched my father for the past 50 or so years cherish his wife, my mother. I have said it before but I have never seen my parents argue or fight in front of my siblings or me nor put each other down. My father has cared for my mother and I think it is neat that even after nearly 53 years of marriage they like to be together and do things together. Sure they both have slowed down physically over the years but they care for each other and my dad knows how to treat mom right.

            My father has also been a role model to me in spiritual matters. He didn’t just talk the talk as a Christian but he has lived it out in practice before me. As a matter of a fact it was my father that led me to the Lord on August 6, 1966 in his study at the church in Vernon, B.C. It was also my father that baptized me on June 3, 1973 as I took the step of believer’s baptism while we were living in Lethbridge, Alberta. Dad has reminded my siblings and me that he and mom care for us by praying for us on a daily basis and I know this for fact. In the more recent years as I have lived several hundred miles away from my parents I have cherished the times that my dad has prayed with me over the phone about certain situations and those prayers have meant a lot to me. I still have a card in my possession that was sent to me by my father when I was living in the States in the 1980s which stated “Remember when I used to lift you up as a child? I still do before the throne of grace in prayer.” I have received many cards over the years from people and relatives but that one card is the most special to me as it shows me that dad cares for me spiritually enough to pray for me.

            On this Father’s Day I am again thankful for my dad and to him I say thanks for being the world’s greatest dad. Thanks Dad I love you.

  

May 18, 1970 - Didn't End it - Tribute to World's Greatest Parents

May 18, 1970 was and is a date that is burned deep into my mind and being. Some people may remember where they were at when they heard the news that President Kennedy was assassinated (for those of you who were around then) or you may remember where you were when you heard the news about the events of September 11, 2001 or bringing it closer to your own situations you may recall where you were when you heard the news about a family tragedy or triumph or found out about a health situation, etc. We all have those times and as I said May 18, 1970 is burned into my memory.

On May 18, 1970 my family was residing in the city of Calgary where my father worked for an organization called the Janz Team. For the previous 9 or so months since moving to Calgary in July of 1969 my father helped run the Calgary office and also travel showing a film called Downbeat. In mid-May of 1970 my parents went to a Bill Gothard seminar in Seattle Washington and left my two younger siblings, Brian (age 6) and sister Sharilyn (age 3) along with myself in the care of an older lady who looked after us back in Calgary. We were lonely for mom and dad but my parents promised they would return on May 18th, which was a holiday Monday.

I am a little foggy on whether my parents called the day before but all I knew that my parents should be back in Calgary around noon hour and I remember going out and sitting on the curb by our house eagerly awaiting my parents’ return. 12:30 came, 1:00 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:00, 2:30, 3:00, 3:30. Around 4:00 I can remember to this day sensing with deep horror that perhaps my parents weren’t coming home and to an 8 year old mind I thought the worse and apparently caused my younger brother to think the worse too. As we both started to wail that mommy and daddy weren’t coming home. Maybe they were dead! To make a long story short my parents did have an accident as the above picture would indicate and by all rights I should have been an orphan as apparently the police thought they were going to just pull bodies out of the car. My parents had hit some trees near Banff and if they had been wearing seatbelts they would not have made it. As I understand it a priest even stopped to give last rites! Others stopped too including a couple who my parents maintained contact with over a fair numbers after the accident. Yes, May 18th was and is burned into my memory.

However I am so thankful that May 18, 1970 was not the end of my earthly relationship with my parents as despite some broken ribs and other injuries my parents were back in Calgary 5 days after the accident. I just want to share very quickly a few reasons why I am grateful to God that he spared my parents, the world’s greatest parents, on May 18th and why I feel closer to them more and more.

If my parents had been taken on May 18th I would not have had the opportunity to been baptized by my father as an 11 year old. I would not have had the opportunity to hear my father pray at my graduation ceremonies, gone for long walks and talks, heard him pray over the phone for me in different situations, or so many other things. I would not have had the opportunity to enjoy my mother’s cooking, her talks, or in recent times the encouragement to find the answer to a query by googling it on the computer (this from someone who a few years ago would call me about a rather simple email problem!)

I am thankful that May 18th, 1970 did not end my earthly relationship with my parents as I along with my siblings would not have had godly role models as parents to follow. I know there is teaching from somewhat notable Christian personages that say a marriage has to involve conflict and turmoil in order to be a good marriage but I can truthfully say that I have never seen my parents fight or argue in front of us kids nor have I seen them put each other down. I feel their marriage is richer than anything a James Dobson or Chuck Swindoll or any other supposed expert has who says conflict means a good marriage. Absolutely not!! Though I have never married or for that matter really had a relationship I have seen in my parents’ relationship one built on love for each other and for God and family that many others unfortunately do not have.

Along with my parents being an example of a loving couple I have seen them as they have followed God through good and bad times. Being a preacher’s kid growing up one sees a church and Christian people in a different way than others. I am thankful my parents taught us how to treat other people even when my parents were wronged and if they had been taken on May 18th, 1970 I may not have fully learned that. My parents have not only "talked the talk" as Christians but they have "walked the walk" in that they have shown me how a Christian should live. Though I fail many times I am thankful that they have been around to show me what a true believer in Christ should be like

I am thankful that my parents were not taken on May 18th, 1970 for they would not have been around for family gatherings including weddings, baby dedications (my dad dedicated all 5 of his grandsons), birthdays and other activities. I cherish the times we traveled as a family to friends and relatives be it to Edmonton or elsewhere in Alberta and B.C. or to Minnesota and Ontario. If they had been taken 42 years ago I would not have had that privilege.

So yes, May 18th, 1970 is burned into my memory and yes I can tell you almost to the minute and hour what happened on that day but thank God May 18th was not the end. I thank God daily for my parents and am so glad that I have had them around these past 42 years. Love you mom and dad. Love your eldest, Daniel Keith

Qualities of a Fantastic Mother

Leona Clare Goldsmith is the world's best mother! Sorry to all of you that thought you had the world's best mother or maybe are the world's best mother but as there can only be one I have her. Yes, I am totally biased but here me out as I celebrate this fantastic lady who is my mother. Years ago in school I learned about corollaries and facts in math. That is in order for a statement to be true the corollaries also had to be true. That is if x = something and y = something then x + y must = z. In the same way I believe the best mothers will exhibit a lot of the qualities here. I admit I am going from a male perspective but feel that as I think of mothers and my mother in particular I have a good idea of what a fantastic mother is like. In Scripture we see the description of an ideal mother in Proverbs 31:10-31. In that passage we are told of a woman who is industrioius, supportive of her husband, cares for her children and is well spoken of by others. Indeed in 31:28 we are told tht "Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her." I can remember many instances of my own mother doing these things. My mother kept herself busy, she cared for us indeed many years ago making some of our clothes, feeding us (as the picture above can attest to!) and looking after us when we were sick. She has been a support to my father over the years as they have ministered in numerous churches and places as a pastoral couple and never once have I heard her put my father down for anything. I believe other ladies have come to my mother for advice and yes my brother, sister and I along with my nephews all can attest that we thank God and praise Him for her. Thus a good mother is a Proverbs 31 mother and that is true of my mother. Also in Scripture we are told of the fruits of the Spirit and I believe these should be qualities of a fantastic mother. We are told that a believer in Christ and this would of course include Christian mothers should display love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. It is not my point to go into what all these qualities mean but having seen so many other bad examples of mothers, i.e. I work at a school and see the results of hurting children who are verbally, mentally and at times physically abused by parents including the mothers of the children, I thank God my mother has portrayed the fruits of the Spirit to my brother Brian, sister Sharilyn, and myself. Sure there have been times when my siblings have exasperated my mother (!), okay all of us (!) have and tried her patience but my mother has shown us love all our lives. She has been there with us in the good and bad times and encouraged us. I remember numerous times whether growing up or talking on the phone where I have come away glad that I had a chat to talk over things with my mother. So a fantastic mother should exhibit fruits of the spirit and that is true of my mother. Most importantly I believe a mother is one who shares the same love of Christ with her children. I know my mother does and indeed I share the same spiritual birthdate with my mother though she was saved 24 years before I was. It was August 6, 1942 that my mother was led to Christ by her mother and it was August 6, 1966 that my father led me to the Lord. Over the years mom has been along with my father one of the greatest role models of what a Christian should be like and live like. Though I fail many times mom has displayed Christ for me. Thus since my mother is a Proverbs 31 mother and also exhibits fruits of the Spirit and is a believer she is a fantastic mother and indeed the world's best mother. I trust you have been able to apply some of these to your own mother or to yourself if you are a mother. On this Mother's Day may all you mothers have a great day.

God and Elections

My province of Alberta is in the midst of a provincial election. In just a matter of days, April 23rd to be exact, Albertans are going to the polls to elect members to a new government. Indications ar that the political landscape of this province will change significantly. Though I try not to make statements about political dealings in the past while I have my own leanings of course, my mind has considered what part God plays in an eleciton and in government in general. Though many would say that "religion" and politics should be separate the fact remains that God, who is above religion, does play a part, indeed the ultimate part actually in the election process and in government. Please permit me to flesh this out a bit.

It is God that ultimately decides who is in to be charge of a province, state, country, etc. No, God, does not go into an election booth and mark his choice for candidate on a slip of paper. He does not belong to or favor any one party such as the Progressive Conservatives, Wildrose, New Democrat, or Liberal parties or any of the other small parties running in the election here in Albera. Nor, surprise, surprise (!) is he a member of the Republican or Democrat parties in the United States as they are in their election year, though many would try to make you think He is. However we are told in Scripture by the prophet Daniel, as he got ready to address king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, that "he [God]changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings [premiers, presidents, etc], and setteth up kings..." This shows that God is in control of our political system no matter how much man may tinker with it. Again God doesn't play favorites but as nothing comes as a surprise to Him he is the One who decides the winner. I know that other questions arise in people's minds at time when they think back to leaders of the past who have been deemed corrupt, immoral, or very wicked such as Hitler, Stalin, etc and wonder how God would allow them to be in power. That is for others to debate in other places, but my point is that it is God who sets one up as leader and takes others down.

Secondly, as we think of the election process I believe we are reminded in Scripture by God that we need to pray for our leaders and I believe this includes all candidates of all parties. Yes I know there is the temptation, and I have given into it myself, to pray just for a certain candidate to get in or for someone to be voted out. It seems that in churches, though not voiced implicitly of course, that we should pray in such a way that our desired candidate get in or else God's will won't be done! Again in the federal election of last year in Canada and as I have watched the ongoing election process in the United States it seems that we are told or we feel that we need to pray people in or out but in Scripture that is not the focus. As a matter of fact this type of praying is not even considered when the apostle Paul in I Timothy 2:1-4 stated: "I exhort therefore, that first of all supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all me; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." We are to pray for our candidates and leaders, not that they win or lose the election but rather that they be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (God's truth).

Thirdly, after the election, and indeed should be true all the time when considering our relationship to the government and those placed in authority over us by God, is the realization that I am to respect and give proper attention to them as the apostle Paul brought out in Romans 13:1-7. Again there are the arguments for protesting and disagreeing with the government over things when one feels that the laws of God are being broken by the government. That again is not the purpose of this blog but rather we need to realize that we are to "be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God...For he is th minister of God...wherefore you must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake..."

As I prepare to go vote yes I do have political leanings as I said but I know God has everything under control. No matter whether my candidate gets in or not it is God who has the ultimate election call (not CTV, Global, CBC, or in the states any of the networks there!). I need to be praying for all the candidates that they would seek to first of all follow God and I need to remember that even if my candidate does not win I need to give proper respect to those over me.

I trust that this has made you think some about God and elections. You need not agree with my political leanings or beliefs and you may interpret things differently even from Scripture but remember God does have all things under His control.

Thankful for Trials

You may have wondered if I had fallen off my “rocker” (hey I am 50!) by looking at the title of this blog, “Thankful for Trials”. Let me assure you I have not nor have I become masochistic in my thinking. Permit me to explain myself.

A number of months ago a young lady from my church challenged her FB friends to consider being thankful for things in life rather than complain about circumstances and see how it would change our thinking. I decided to take up the challenge and though there are days I could and have indeed complained about things I feel my attitude is changing somewhat as I do thank God for situations in my life. Not surprisingly it is a lot easier to be thankful to God for the blessings and good things that happen in my life, as the old hymn encourages us to, but I have found that I can thank God for the trials and what I would be tempted to call “bad” things and circumstances in life the past while. Over the past few years I have begun to learn to give thanks to God for situations I have found myself in.

It was 33 years ago on March 20, 1979 that as a senior at Prairie High School (now Prairie Christian Academy) in Three Hills, Alberta that I gave my sermon on “Patience through Trials” using as my text James 1:2-4. I actually still have a tape of my sermon given that day and was tempted to pull it out and see what a 17 year old said about trials. Not wanting to bore you with all my sermon in a nutshell I shared that I was thankful that God had enabled me to triumph over my trials as I noted that the past couple of years prior to that time I had experienced some health issues. I shared how that I had to drop out of grade 11 and finish it by correspondence due to asthma conditions that caused me to cough constantly and have a hard time breathing. I even had spent some time in the infirmary at the school at Three Hills that year already and yet I felt I was learning patience. On that day that I gave my sermon I was thankful to God for teaching me patience and indeed had used as a hymn (we had to choose a hymn or special number to go along with our sermon) the old hymn Day by Day. The first few lines of that hymn state: “Day by day, and with each passing moment, strength I find to meet my trials here; trusting in my Father's wise bestowment, I've no cause for worry or for fear.” Truly I felt I could thank God for my trials as I was starting to learn patience through them.

Exactly four days after my senior sermon I was back home in Calgary enjoying a weekend with my family. As we were expecting some relatives for dinner that night my mother asked me to polish the silverware neither of us realizing that this would cause me to have an asthmatic reaction. To make a long story short for the next 11 weeks or so I endured coughing spells lasting all day which kept me out of the classroom at Prairie. Actually I ended up spending my days in my dorm room and fellow classmates would drop off my homework assignments. At that time I admit it was hard to thank God for my trials health wise, I mean had I not just said I was learning patience (!) yet looking back on it I can say I thank God for my health trials there since through that experience I actually was recommended to a doctor who treated my allergies/asthma and I have been much better these past 33 or so years.

Another example of how I thank God for trials is related to another health situation (sorry this was not meant to be a health blog, but health issues have indeed been a means God has used in testing me!) that I experienced a few years ago. Over the past few years I have had to deal with a choking problem related to various health conditions. It got to the point where just over 5 years ago I ended up being taken by ambulance to Edmonton because of a choking episode. Now, you may wonder why I would thank God for allowing me to experience a choking episode but this particular episode ended up resulting in the discovery of a small tumor in my stomach. Though it proved to be benign and relatively small it was removed. I thank God for the trial of choking for I am 100% convinced that if I had not had that choking episode and ended up having to have a minor operation the doctors would not have discovered the small mass in my stomach otherwise. As the first few lines of the second verse of the hymn declare: “Every day the Lord Himself is near me, with a special mercy for each hour; all my cares He fain would bear and cheer me, He whose name is Counsellor and Pow'r.” I am more than convinced that God was with me through that trial with the tumor and I thank Him for allowing me to go through it.

There have been numerous other occasions when God has allowed me to go through trials, whether sometimes caused by my own foolishness, or otherwise, to teach me various lessons that I would not have learned if everything in life had been easy. I am not saying that I was or am always thankful for the trials as I fail many times, yet over and over again often in hindsight I have seen God has worked through trials to mold me. I can remember times when I was looking for work and wondering why certain things didn’t turn out the way I wanted. I remember years ago considering a pastoral position in the States and then saying no to it. I remember at the time thinking I had done the wrong thing in turning down the position but later realizing that it was for the best. There have been other times such as when I had a car accident and ended up upside down in a ditch just shortly after realizing in my own spirit that things were not as perhaps they should be with God. God used that incident to get my attention and I thanked Him for allowing me to go through that episode.

No, as I said before I am not a super Christian, far from it, and there are many times in life that I complain about my lot in life but as Scripture says to be thankful in every situation I am slowly learning to be thankful to God in my trials. I admit that I do not look forward to facing trials of any kind. I don’t know what the future holds just as I didn’t know that four days after saying I was learning about patience through trials back in 1979 and then faced more yet I pray that I will be able to say thank you to God for what my trials teach me. Yes I have a long way to go and I know that many of you have gone through many more trying times than myself but I would encourage you to not only be thankful to God in the good times but remember that He is with you in your trials and ask Him to help you be thankful even in those situations as He uses them to mold you for His purposes.

In closing let me encourage you with the words of the hymn that I used on March 20, 1979 when I gave my sermon on Trials.
“Day by day, and with each passing moment, strength I find to meet my trials here; trusting in my Father's wise bestowment, I've no cause for worry or for fear. He, whose heart is kind beyond all measure, gives unto each day what He deems best, lovingly its part of pain and pleasure, mingling toil with peace and rest.
Every day the Lord Himself is near me, with a special mercy for each hour; all my cares He fain would bear and cheer me, He whose name is Counsellor and Pow'r. The protection of His child and treasure is a charge that on Himself He laid; “As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure," this the pledge to me He made.
Help me then, in every tribulation, so to trust Thy promises, O Lord, that I lose not faith's sweet consolation, offered me within Thy holy Word. Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting, e'er to take, as from a father's hand, one by one, the days, the moments fleeting, Till with Christ the Lord I stand.”

Out of th Mouths of Babes

A few years ago there was a television show called Kids Say the Darndest Things, hosted I believe by Bill Cosby. On the show he would interview quite young children and ask them questions on different topics. Many of their answers were quite amusing and the audience would get a real chuckle out of the young children's honesty though sometimes also quite eye-opening as to how these young children perceived their world. Over the past 8 and ½ years I have heard quite some amusing and some very disturbing things that come out of the mouth of young children and teens that I think are just small indications of the type of the world they are growing up in. I would like to share a few insights that I have gained some funny and some not so funny when it relates to our children and youth today.

My duties at the Barrhead Public Library entail among many things helping children and teachers check out materials during the school year as the library is connected to an elementary school that has approximately 590 students from K-6. As the children check out books there is the invariably funny or somewhat astounding things that come out of their mouths. Sometimes it can be quite exasperating when in checking their records I will say to them “So and so you have a library book out” and they will say “No, Mr. Goldsmith I brought all my books back and I don’t have anything out.” I will say to them again it says right here that you have something out and many times the young boy or girl will say no I don’t have anything out (and sometimes of course it is the library’s mistake in that we missed checking in an item). Then they will invariably say as I proceed to continue with the check out and scan a book which says they already have and is the book in question, “Oh I wanted to renew that book!” One does sometimes have to shake one’s head at the seeming disconnect between having something and associating it with what is being asked of them. But then again do we as adults sometimes claim we don’t understand instructions when they are clearly laid out, i.e. here in parts of Canada it is illegal to talk on a cell phone while driving as it can be distracting. But if confronted by someone maybe in authority would we not be tempted to say oh I didn’t know that I should not be on the phone or not be doing something else. So out of the mouths of babes we can learn that we need to be careful of what we say as it can trip us up sometimes.

Other times what has come of the mouths of young children and teens have been downright hilarious. Once I was talking to a young teen who wanted to place a hold on a book written by Phil Callaway, a Christian humorist. In the course of the conversation I said “Oh, I went to high school and college with Phil” whereupon this young girl looked at me quite bewildered and quite innocently stated, “Oh, I didn’t think he was that old!” After almost falling out of my chair from laughing so hard I stupidly asked “Well, how old do you think I am?” and unfortunately she was pretty accurate on her guess! Sometimes children and youth can humble us with their words and also teach us that we should not take ourselves so seriously and even to learn to laugh at one’s self a bit.

Yes, there are many other illustrations I could share of young children and teens making amusing comments but there are other insights that I have gained from some very sobering things that they have said which I feel are just indications of what they really are experiencing in their lives, some of the things that unfortunately many of us never experienced in our lives growing up. Like the young grade one boy who earlier this year rattled off all of his names to me when I asked him his name as I checked out his material and he said straight faced like that the reason he had so many names was because his mother had so many boyfriends. On a surface level, this seemed like a very amusing and hilarious comment, which did indeed make me laugh. However on talking to one of the teaching staff it was a very telling statement as this boy did indeed come from a home where his young mother had had many boyfriends and perhaps the boy really did not know his real father! Even in the small rural community where I live there are unfortunately many young elementary children who are not living in what many used to call a normal family unit, i.e. home with father and mother both residing together and the children think nothing of it. Out of the mouths of babes I hear indications (though many times unintentional) that children are growing up in shattered homes.

Other children, again many times unintentional and innocently expressed, tell heartbreaking stories. Only a couple of weeks ago I was again talking to a young grade one girl who had just returned to the school after moving back to the area. I noted that it was nice to see her and quite innocently asked why the family had moved back when she straight forwardly stated that the reason her family had moved back was that the aunt had kicked the family out of her home and the family (again I believe a single parent home) was now living with another relative! Not only do a lot of children today have to endure a dysfunctional family within the confines of their four walls but they are experiencing lovelessness from extended family and friends and are learning pretty quickly that the world really is not a friendly or caring environment.

Also from the mouths of babes I am learning, distressingly so, how hopeless many of our children and teens feel. A couple of years ago I had confronted a young teen girl about being up on the roof of the school. Initially she denied that she had been up on it with some others and then her story quickly changed. “Mr. Goldsmith”, she stated, “There wasn’t two people up on the roof but it was only me as that is the only place I can be by myself and listen to my music or I would kill myself.” After getting over my shock (and unfortunately I am sure she saw it as I had not been expecting this admission even though I knew she was from a dysfunctional home) I tried to encourage her with some word and later spoke to a counselor about her. Unfortunately this same girl who told me quite some time later, when I again mentioned to her in conversation that I had not seen her around in quite a while, that the reason was that she had been a victim of rape. Out of the mouths of babes there is every indication that so many children are growing up without love, without stability, and without hope in their personal lives.

I could share many other stories, and as I said before some amusing and some totally heartbreaking, but our children and youth are crying out to us. Many years ago, more than I want to admit to (!) a classmate used to sing the song “Let Me See this World Dear Lord as though I were looking through your eyes.” Many times I want to paraphrase that song just to say, dear Lord let me see the world through hurting children’s eyes. It is a world of lovelessness, hopelessness and fear but I trust that over the years I have been a help to these kids. No I am not a superhero or super spiritual but time has flying by and what kids say today though it may be the darndest thing, it may also be the most enlightening thing you hear in your day. Listen to them, care for them, pray for them, love them.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

It has been quite some time since I last blogged but a lot has happened and a fair bit has to do with my work. Thought I would share a few insights that I have gained from working with teens and children since I began working at Barrhead Public Library just over 8 1/2 years ago.

The title of a rather famous Television show of a few years go was Kids Say the Darndest things. I believe it was hosted by the comedian Bill Cosby and he would interview quite young children on various topics and they would come up with some rather amusing and hilarious answers to questions posed. Well, I have had the same happen in my line of work. I keep thinking I should have written all the one-liners, mostly unintentional that I have heard. However, most are forgotten, unfortunately, other statements not so much. One I do remember and still get a chuckle over is when I was talking to a young girl, actually young teenager who was in the library one day. She mentioned she wanted to place a hold on a book written by Phil Callaway, Christian humorist. I mentioned to her that I had gone to high school and college with Phil whereupon she looked at me with this quizzical look and stated matter of factly "Oh I don't think Phil was that old!" After almost falling off my chair in laughter and with her mother standing behind I then stupidly asked well, how old did she think I was, and she basically hit it straight on! Yes I have heard lots of these type of statements over the years.

However, when I think of things coming out of the mouths of babes I am drawn to how they view their world and it saddens me. Yes there are still the amusing statements like the young grade one boy who straight faced told me that the reason he had so many names was because his mother had so many boyfriends! I admitted it struck me as very funny at the start, but then when you think of it this is a sad commentary on our society when a young child really does not have a grasp of a strong family unit. I could unfortunately point out to you many children in the elementary school of which I am a part of that don't have the privilege of having a strong family unit, i.e. mother and father both at home (and this in a small rural community of just over 10,000).

I have also had a young grade one girl comment to me, on my noting that she had moved away and then moved back, that the reason she had moved was that one aunt had kicked the family (again not sure if it is just a single parent family or not) out of the house and the girl and her family was now living with another relative. Again what does this say about our society where a child does not have a firm grasp of what it means to belong to a loving family unit and its support. I am thankful for my family and how I have a godly heritage but so many children today not only don't experience in their blood relations but even have no concept of love from extended family and friends.

One other series of comments that really has impressed on me where our children and youth are growing up today was made by another young teen girl a few years ago that I had confronted about something. Someone had reported to me in the library, one early September afternoon, that there were some kids up on the roof of the building. I had gone out to investigate and noted some young people walking away from the school. As I had recognized one of the girls I mentioned to her when she was in the library the next day that she had been up on the roof. Initially she said no she hadn't been up on the roof with anyone and then she stunned me. "No, Mr. Goldsmith I was actually the only one up on the roof because that is the only place where I feel safe and can listen to my music or else I would kill myself." I admit I was totally floored by this admission, as even though this girl I knew was a troubled girl was not expecting that admission and I did talk to a counselor about her later. Unfortunately another time this girl confided when I said I hadn't seen her for quite some time (at a later date) that the reason was she had been a victim of a rape. I admit even though I am a Christian and have theologicial training one does not always have the strength to cope with situations like. These comments show that our youth and children are growing up in a friendless (so it seems like to so many of them), loveless, and hopeless world. My heart cries out for them.

Many years ago when I was attending college a classmate used to sing a song "Let Me See this world dear Lord as though I were looking through your eyes..." The past 8 1/2 years, though at times to be honest I would prefer not to have been at Barrhead Public Library has caused me to at times want to paraphrase that song as to say "let me say this world dear Lord as though I were looking through children's eyes" as many of them have gone through things I never experienced as a child and it makes me want to see them experience the love and joy (though I don't always express it or feel it myself) that I have had with a loving family and a loving God.

So yes, kids do say the darndest things, but many more times they say some very profound and heartbreaking things and we need to listen to what comes out of the mouths of babes.