“Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.” (Matthew 19:13-15)

Today I met a little girl of about 4 years, who showed me what it was to be full of love and delight, to rejoice, and express herself without fear or restraint.

We were at a food fair at Syon Park, and the communal tables allowed people to easily mix. Her mum left her there opposite me while she fetched something, and soon enough I was the happy audience of her stream of consciousness, which stopped every now and then to check whether I knew the little friends she was talking about, or had tried the ice cream yet.

I think she is probably one of the most delightful people I’ve ever met, and I don’t even know her name. She was fully immersed in relishing and thinking about absolutely every good thing that was in her day, and her friends. When she asked my name, she told me about her friend also called Victoria, how she had left her nursery to start school, which reminded her of another friend; which made her clap her hands with joy and look like she couldn’t imagine a better thing than this wonderful friend: ‘Oh, she is so beautiful!’

As for me, how grateful I was for her today. God knew I needed a lift, and he put her in front of me and reminded me what unalloyed joy looks like; how to relate to others without overcaution. It’s contagious.

On Sunday I found myself doing the same with someone, where I would have usually been more circumspect, and I noticed how my readiness to declare myself glad of someone’s company enabled our friendship to move on that little bit further.

Jesus wants us sharing and enjoying each other. He’s put us on this earth to be a blessing to one another. It’s hard to share love if you’re in damage limitation mode.

To my talkative little friend in Syon park with the black jacket and the pink wellies, never let anyone tell you to talk less, you are a joy.

As a sidenote, enfolded in this story of Jesus from Matthew’s gospel is a unique little insight into how Jesus was treated by the general public. Somewhere between a saint and a celebrity, people wanted him to bless their little ones. They wanted their most treasured expression of hope for the future to be blessed by him. We also lay our hands on people when we pray for them. I’m ever grateful that God showed us what it would look like if God himself walked the earth.

Sometimes we see such an excellent facet of beauty in another human being that it brings us nearer to understanding what God is like, and shows us how flimsy are the walls that keep us from each other. Even Syon Park’s walls are not as beautiful as the transformative qualities of those who can walk right through them.