5 matchbox cars and the early church

My wife Chris and I visited the Compassion child my grandparents sponsor while we were in Peru last week. Jhordy was shy and reserved but came out of his shell rather quickly. His mother Merlini and younger brother Dustin came along with him for the visit. We learned his father, Manuel, is a sewer for a living.

My favorite part of the day was watching him play with the 5 matchbox cars from the backpack we gave him. They were his favorite, which made me wonder what would happen when brother Dustin got his hands on one. Well I was loving the fact that Jhordy shared right off the bat, just like it was second nature. They ran those 5 cars over logs and grass and concrete and chairs together, basically everything they could find. And then they both seemed to remember the slides they played on earlier in the day.

I soon found myself watching Jhordy and Dustin climb up through the tubes to let the cars go screaming down the slides. They could have done that all day I think. Enter 15 other compassion kids and siblings playing in the same area. I found myself keeping track of those cars for Jhordy. It seemed they meant a lot to him and I didn't want other kids taking his property. All was going well until Luis, a compassion child a few years older than Jhordy, entered the scene. He watched the cars go down the slide and then positioned himself at the bottom one time as Jhordy released the cars from the top. So I figured this was where I would get to step in and explain to Luis that these were not his cars and could you please give them back. I even pictured Luis running off with them an me chasing him.

So down came the cars, followed by Jhordy. When he got to the bottom there was Luis, holding the cars. I watched. I expected an argument at the least and a fight at worst.

But Luis simply handed Jhordy the cars and then Jhordy handed one back and they both proceded to race those cars down the slide. The cars, it seems, were not private property. They were to be shared.

Reminds me of something I've read about the early church sharing all their possessions so no one was in need.

Two Compassion sponsored boys under the age of 8, whose families probably live on less per day than I spend for a cup of coffee, gave me a Bible lesson in practical life.

"........and a little child will lead them."