One of the cool things about having children around is you're in touch with all the current “hot toys.” You know, the must-have gifts at birthdays and Christmas.
What’s old is apparently new–and very popular in toys these days. I refer to “Little People,” a toy series introduced by Fisher Price in the 1960s. These diminutive plastic figures come in a wide variety of characters.
Farmers, animals, boys and girls. You'll find “Little People” versions of these. But you can also find licensed versions of movie figures, like popular Disney characters. They are all now under the Mattel name, since they bought out Fisher Price.
According to “This Old Toy’s” Little People History, Mattel claims that since the brand's launch, over 2-billion "Little People" figures have been sold in over 60 countries.
Our two year old granddaughter Lucy—a little person herself—is fascinated with "Little People." We got her a set for Christmas and she keeps them faithfully in a cardboard “chest of gold.” She refers to this collection of "Little People" as her “treasure.”
And they certainly appear to be—at least to her. Faithfully collected every night, Lucy guards them from intrusion or loss or harm or brotherly theft. Such tender care.
What if we treated the souls in our lives with the same care Lucy extends toward her “Little People?” What if we had a place of protection for their feelings, their dreams, their hurts, their secret burdens? What if we were just as intentional about giving the people in our lives—little people AND big people—the same kind of care?
Come to think of it, this is exactly how our heavenly Father treats us.
“He tends His flock like a shepherd. He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart. He gently leads those that have young” (Isaiah 40:11).
Got any little people in your life? Do you treat them like treasures?