Just These Three Things
Children … there is nothing like the heart of a little person to rearrange your priorities, refine your theology and restore your hope.
“Through the praises of children and infants
You have established a strong hold
against Your enemies.”
I love to listen to children talk about God. I love to hear their praises … to watch their heartfelt enthusiasm … and to know that they understand the love of the Father.
Children know. They know God in a particular way that most adults do not begin to grasp. They know that God is love and that He is powerful.
They know that God is a giant-killer … a life-giver … and a mountain-mover.
Children know.
Children are the very best prayer warriors that I know. They pray in unabashed faith and enthusiastically expect a response from heaven! If you have lingering doubts about life … ask a child to pray for you! There is nothing quite like it!
“And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said,
‘Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children,
you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Whoever then humbles himself as this child,
he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me.” –
Is it because they are so fresh from heaven? Is that why children have an insight into the heart and character of God that is sometimes missing in older, more mature and “wiser” adults?
Do babies remember what heaven smells like? Do toddlers recall the joy around the throne of God? Are pre-schoolers able to catch a whiff of the love of the Father while living on earth?
If nothing else, children know that God loves children. They know.
The innocence of a child is a strong magnet to the presence of God. Little ones are most at home in the joy of His presence. Is it any wonder that there was a special place in the heart of Jesus for children?
“One day children were brought to Jesus
in the hope that He would lay hands on them and pray over them.
The disciples shooed them off.
But Jesus intervened: ‘Let the children alone,
don’t prevent them from coming to me.
God’s kingdom is made up of people like these.”
– Matthew 19:13 & 14 – The Message
Olivia is my adorable, precocious, administrative, creative and anointed little bundle of granddaughterly joy! She was the first grandchild born into this clan and will ever hold a place of sweet delight in my Marmee’s heart.
Olivia loves to design doll clothes, write books, go to ballet lessons, take care of her little brothers and has an insatiable desire to know more about God. Although only 5 years old, Olivia is filled with a wisdom that I long for at times!
A few weeks ago it was Kids’ Day at Faith Family Church in Victoria, TX. All of the school age children were allowed to stay in the big service and Pastor Jim Graff had a message that he had prepared especially for them.
These are the notes, in Olivia’s own handwriting that she wrote that day:
God is with you.
You are special.
You are God’s child.
Olivia got it right, didn’t she? That is all the theology that she needs in her tender and formative years. Maybe it is all the theology that you and I need as well.
God is with you! What a promise! You serve a God Who will never leave you regardless of how you act, what you’ve done or where you are going. He is more than a social sidekick or a nagging shadow. He is not an obnoxious tag-along or the constant reminder of yesterday’s mistakes. God’s presence and love are inescapable companions as you travel life this side of heaven. He has promised never to leave you or forsake you. When everyone else has deserted you … you have a friend that is closer than a brother. Ah-h-h-h … you are not alone! Thanks for the sweet reminder, Olivia.
You are special! What a great memo from Olivia’s 5 year old heart! There is no one like you … you are one of a kind. You have a destiny that has never been shared by another human being in all of history. God has uniquely fashioned you for such a time as this. Comparing yourself with others is a total and complete waste of energy because there is no one like you … and there is no one like them! So get busy being you! Be the you that God made you to be … today! Olivia … there will never be another Olivia Mae McLeod! You are you … and that is enough … that is more than enough!
You are God’s child. That’s right … you belong. You belong to Your Dad. You are His wanted and dearly loved child. You are part of the greatest family ever created … the family of the most-high God! There is never any possible reason to wonder who you are … you are God’s child! What an honor! When others reject you or forget you … you are God’s child! When your family ignores you and your friends avoid you … you are God’s child! His embrace is big enough and powerful enough to calm your fears and to lead the way.
Olivia … I hope that you always remember these 3 important sentences.
God is with you.
You are special.
You are God’s child.
I hope that when you are 12 and are struggling with self-esteem that you remember.
I hope that when you are 18 and face an unknown future that you remember.
I hope that when you are raising a little girl with blonde hair and blue eyes that you remember.
I hope that when another little girl … at another moment in history … calls you “Marmee” … that you remember …
God is with you.
You are special.
You are God’s child.
