I spend half my time comforting the afflicated, and the other half afflicting the comfortable.

If God places a child before you, and you are too busy to wield either a positive or negative influence...you just did the later! You communicated that the child doesn't matter and isn't important.

I spend half my time comforting the afflicated, and the other half afflicting the comfortable.

Children are more than we think they are; they can do more than we think they can do. All they need is a vote of confidence from grownups, whom they will ultimately replace anyway. Their dream today will become the realities of tomorrow.

But when adults speak up for the vulnerable and the weak, working and demanding that safety and respect prevail, God's little lambs are protected and nourished. They know they are not abandoned; they are loved. And the world becomes a little more like heaven as a result.

There is nothing to be intimidated about - it's just another long run where a few more people show up and they happen to wear numbers.

Every child you encounter is a divine appointment.