The Heart of a Child
We are watching our grandnephews recently, and this experience has provided us a plethora of things to think about.
First, some observations…
Good things: scrambled eggs with cheese, sugar coated cereal, going out to eat (especially McDonalds – yuck), getting to go to Walmart to pick a toy (I suggest a dollar limit and time limit to select or you’ll be there for hours); also apparently for the older preteen, stupid YouTube videos of people eating crazy things or other forms of 3 stooges type comedy.
Bad things: Any other types of food especially Cream of Wheat, letting one pick the kind of pizza, not giving in to their request for anything, and this is a big one… taking away their electronic games/devices.
As much as we have both been stressed from the upheaval in our routine in taking care of them, our hearts have melted several times as well. For example, taking them to church where they were perfect angels, having one of them crawl in bed in the morning and telling you how much they love to snuggle, and fixing those eggs and having one of them tell you that they are the best eggs they’ve ever eaten.
The purpose of this message is not to list good things and bad things (although I could go on and on), but to point out that God must feel the same way about us. How many times have I reached out and told God how much I love him - Did his heart melt like mine has this week? Was God happy when I noticed some aspect of his creation and thanked him for it? When I am being rebellious to what God has told me to do, does he want to get the duct tape out (wait, did I type that out loud?)?
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of Lords, for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who by understanding made the heavens, for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who spread out the earth above the waters, for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who made the great lights, for his steadfast love endures forever; the sun to rule over the day, for his steadfast love endures forever; the moon and stars to rule over the night, for his steadfast love endures forever;" - Psalm 136:1-9 ESV
“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” - Romans 5:6-8
“If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.” - Deuteronomy 30:16
Little children are a blessing in that they help us remember our relationship with God.
