Out of the Mouth of Babes...

            Today I took a walk with my 2 year old brother. We were walking in the woods, looking at trees, picking blackberries, and having a wonderful time together. As we were heading home, there ensued a series of lessons that Jesus revealed to me in my own life, from things Michael said and did.

             Michael asked which path we would take. I answered casually, "Just follow me". It suddenly struck me that this is what Jesus says to us, His children. Sometimes in our life, we think we are lost. There seems to be too many different roads and paths to take, and we ask God, "Which way am I supposed to go?" But He just says, "Be still my child, and just follow me".

            We continued on, and presently, we came upon our creek. I was thinking on this new revelation, but I was still carefully watching Michael, who happily throwing rocks over a little waterfall that is 3-4 feet deep. He decided to put a big stick in there as well, and started on this course of action. He was so engrossed in his play, that he failed to realize how close he was coming to the edge. But being his big sister, I was watching the whole time. I was there. I warned him to get away from it, and he heeded my warning. He looked down and saw what was happening, and immediately corrected it.

            There are times in our lives when we are so occupied with sin that we don't see how close we are to getting into really big trouble. But our Father sees us the whole time, and warns us. Sometimes we take notice, and mend our ways. But sometimes, we willfully ignore the warning, and get ourselves in a world of hurt. But even if my brother had not listened to me, and continued on his dangerous course, and had ultimately fallen in, I would have been there to pick him up, comfort him, and make sure he wasn't too badly hurt. In the same way, even if we don't listen to God's cautions, and fall into traps that the enemy has set for us, God is still there to pick us up, comfort us, and heal our broken hearts. But we must be willing to accept His help.

            A few minutes after this incident, I decided it was time to move on. I called to Michael to follow me, but he was so absorbed in his play, he ignored me. He wasn’t  doing anything bad, he just didn't want to be interrupted. I called several times, and he finally came.

            It reminded me of how many times Jesus has called me during my life to do a job for Him (e.g. witness to someone, befriend someone, etc), and I did not heed His command. It would interrupt my "play", it was inconvenient at the time, it would make me uncomfortable, or it was just awkward.  These were the excuses I used. But my Father calls me to instantly obey Him, and there are consequences each time I fail. Many times, I have a guilty conscience. I hate having a guilty conscience. I lived with one for so long, I refuse to do it again. That is punishment enough for me. Just yesterday, a friend asked me to make friends with this young girl who really doesn't have any, and I didn't. I hardly said a word to her, because it was "inconvenient" for me. I have an uncomfortable state of mind today, knowing I failed my friend and God.

            So, back to the woods. Michael and I continued on our merry way, talking about everything (if you have ever had a conversation with an almost three-year-old, you know what the nature of the "conversation" was! {e.g. "We are in 'de woods!" "Yes we are." "I eaten backberrwies!" "Yeah, they are good, aren't they?" etc.}).  All of a sudden, he says, "I am tired". So I offered to carry him, and he gratefully accepted my proposal.

            Our Father is always there when we grow weary of life; tired of people, tired of circumstances, tired of everything. We just need to be carried. We need a rest. Jesus asks us to have a time of rest with Him each day; to pray, to read His word, to be cleansed, to be washed. We need that time with Him, so that we are refreshed and ready for the day ahead. Before I realized this important reason for devotions, I was always dragging my feet, reading every other book but the Bible, and found every reason not to. But when I became aware of the fact that I needed that time with God, or else I was prone to have an angry spirit that day, or was depressed, I quickly changed my view of my time with God. Are you being refreshed every day?

            We finally made it home, stuffed with blackberries, and continued life. But I was thinking; how many of us are so trusting of our Heavenly Father that we are willing for Him to lead us? There were a few times on the path in the woods when Michael thought he was leading me, but I, unbeknownst to him, was still directing his path. There was nothing Michael could do that I wouldn't know about. There was no where he could go without my knowledge of it. There is no where we can go that God doesn't know. The Bible says in Psalm 32:8, "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye."

            In Luke 18:17, God states why, in my opinion, we should try to see the world from a child's perspective by saying, "Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein." It is important to have childlike faith, believe God at His word, and simply trust that He will do what He promises.

            The funny thing is, I am in charge of pre-schooling Michael, along with 2 other children in our neighborhood. But I believe, that if I watch and listen to Michael, he will be the one teaching me. I am blessed!

Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength…" Psalm 8:2