SHE TEACHES YOU
She’s greater far, that little child, than you;
The very child you teach, she teaches you.
You teach her to be Christlike, but have you
Forgotten she already is, far more than you?
You teach her right from wrong, and yet it’s she,
Not you, whose conscience is more clear and free.
You teach her trust in God, but can’t you see
That it is you who lack trust more than she?
For you find doubt and reason in your way
While she in simple faith believes straightway.
You teach her to forgive, but don’t you know
That she forgives in half the time you do?
And she, when she forgives, at once forgets;
But you? You struggle long with grudge and debts.
You try to teach her love. You can’t. You cry,
“My child, you are the teacher, and not I!”
So learn from her, be like her, you who teach.
You must, Christ says, if heaven you would reach.
– Ida Boyer Bontrager
I’ve been making my way though a mothers devotional. Most days it has a cheesy poem, but this one was an exception for me. I changed all the words to “she” from “he” for my version. But I found it to be a very meaningful poem.
“Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” Matt 18:4
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