“Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength . . .” (Psalm 8:2^a.  See also Matthew 21:16.)

A friend of mine has the smartest and funniest grandchildren you can imagine.  This is not simply his grandfatherliness talking.  He has told me some stories that make me realize he is not exaggerating.  If they were my own grandchildren, you might discount my words, but these are not my own grandchildren.  I have no horse in this race.

For example, my friend’s four-year-old grandson had a cold.  His dad was helping the little guy blow his nose.  After a successful conclusion to this maneuver, the little guy said, “I’m the mayor of snot town.”

Young children have the wonderful ability to help us to see the world differently, and to help us to see the world differently.  This little guy was going to be in charge no matter what—even if he had a cold, and needed encouragement to blow his nose!  The word “indomitable” comes to mind.

2 Kings 5 tells a wonderful story about a little girl who not only had an indomitable spirit, but a compassionate one as well.

“The king of Aram had great admiration for Naaman, the commander of his army, because through him the LORD had given Aram great victories. But though Naaman was a mighty warrior, he suffered from leprosy.

2 At this time Aramean raiders had invaded the land of Israel, and among their captives was a young girl who had been given to Naaman’s wife as a maid.

3 One day the girl said to her mistress, “I wish my master would go to see the prophet in Samaria. He would heal him of his leprosy.”

4 So Naaman told the king what the young girl from Israel had said.

5 “Go and visit the prophet,” the king of Aram told him. “I will send a letter of introduction for you to take to the king of Israel.” So Naaman started out, carrying as gifts 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold, and ten sets of clothing.

6 The letter to the king of Israel said: “With this letter I present my servant Naaman. I want you to heal him of his leprosy.”

7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes in dismay and said, “This man sends me a leper to heal! Am I God, that I can give life and take it away? I can see that he’s just trying to pick a fight with me.”

8 But when Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes in dismay, he sent this message to him: “Why are you so upset? Send Naaman to me, and he will learn that there is a true prophet here in Israel.”

9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and waited at the door of Elisha’s house.

10 But Elisha sent a messenger out to him with this message: “Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored, and you will be healed of your leprosy.”

11 But Naaman became angry and stalked away. “I thought he would certainly come out to meet me!” he said. “I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the LORD his God and heal me!

12 Aren’t the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than any of the rivers of Israel? Why shouldn’t I wash in them and be healed?” So Naaman turned and went away in a rage.

13 But his officers tried to reason with him and said, “Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something very difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply, ‘Go and wash and be cured!’ ”

14 So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times, as the man of God had instructed him. And his skin became as healthy as the skin of a young child’s, and he was healed!”

Most of us biblical types tend to concentrate on Naaman or on the prophet Elisha.  In reality, there are several unnamed heroes.  The servants, who encouraged Naaman to wash in the Jordan River were heroes.  He would have gone away in a huff, and still would have been a leper, if it had not been for his servants’ wise words.

But above all, there is the little girl who served Naaman’s wife.  This little girl was an Israelite who had been captured in a raid.  Had Naaman’s men killed her mom and dad?  We don’t know.  How old was she when she was captured?  We don’t know.  How old was she when she made the comment that sent Naaman on his journey to Israel and to healing?  We don’t know.  Was Naaman such a nice guy that the little girl was interested in his healing?  We don’t know.  As with most biblical stories, there’s a lot we don’t know.

All we really know is what the Bible says.  However, I am going to make a broad generalization: Generally speaking, small children are amazingly resilient and astonishingly compassionate.  Small children are often the mayors of compassion town.

We humans outgrow many things, but one thing we ought not to outgrow is compassion.

Got compassion?  If not, get some!