Little Sunbeams

I think God gives the children, as through the land they go,
The most delightful mission that anyone can know.
He wants us to be sunbeams of love and hope and cheer,
To brighten up the shadows that often gather here.

Refrain

O we are little sunbeams, sent down from God to man;
In all life’s shady places, we shine as best we can.

The clouds may hide the sunshine of Heaven from our sight,
And life have much of sorrow to mar the heart’s delight;
But if like faithful sunbeams, we children do our part,
We’ll bring a ray of brightness to every shadowed heart.

Refrain

Then let us live our mission of sunbeams day by day,
And scatter joy and brightness about us all the way;
Let’s chase away life’s shadows with loving thought and deed
And be the sunshine makers, of which the world has need.

Refrain

Author: Unknown

No clear attribution in the provided text or common hymnals. The style, simple children's theme, and language are typical of late-19th/early-20th century Sunday-school songs, but no specific author (such as Fanny Crosby or others) matches these exact lyrics.