Let me
preface today’s blog by saying that I’ve really wrestled with whether or not I
should even share it. When faced with similar scenarios in the past, I have
either opted to not pass it along at all or simply make the person anonymous. However,
the more I’ve thought about it, I think it would be wrong for me to not share
the following story with you. So here goes…
One day
last week while we were walking home from the bus stop, Mati (our 7-year-old
daughter) explained that she had something to tell me and that it was “kinda good and kinda bad.” Obviously I
was anxious to hear the news, so I encouraged her to proceed…
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| From our camping trip 2 years ago... |
Mati: “Well, there is this girl on
our bus and she was crying today because her dad is in the army and he’s gonna have
to be gone for a long time…She is scared for him and really sad because she is
going to miss him.”
I
nodded in agreement and continued to listen…
Mati: “So I asked her if she had
prayed about it. She said that she prayed last night before bed. So I asked her
if she wanted to pray now.”
The
girl said yes. So she prayed and then Mati prayed.
Mati: “Then we worshipped!”
Me: “You worshipped?!”
Mati: “Yeah, we sang that song about
God being jealous for us…?”
She
looked up at me like I would know what she was talking about. So I guessed, “Oh
How He Loves Us?”
Mati: “Yes, that one!”
Now
that’s the gist of the story. I never asked about the “bad” part because I assumed I knew what it was (the issue that
made Mati’s friend sad to start with). So all I left out was my sappiness that
followed, and there’s no need to bore you with that, right? Anyway, needless to
say, I’m extremely proud of our little girl for her sweet response to a friend
in need. I was immediately stirred with gratitude and had to work really hard
to not let my happy tears be seen. Hearing of Mati’s encounter, challenged me, and
somewhat convicted me as well.
Why am
I so hesitant to respond like that? I’m a pastor for crying out loud! I pray
for people and with people, and because I love others and respect their
eardrums, I try to keep my singing to a minimum. But my response would not have
been anything like Matilyn’s. Maybe I would have asked what was wrong, but that
would have been about it. Mati went straight to the only source of healing and
comfort; she and her friend petitioned the Lord for help. Even after the girl said she had
prayed already, Mati offered up the thought of doing it again. Isn’t that
precious?! Picture a couple tiny second grade girls praying and singing to the
Lord on a noisy bus. Having formerly been a school bus driver, I can tell you
that personally, I would be far more likely to be found singing hymns in a jail
cell, a la Paul & Silas (Acts 16:25-34), than to be heard rejoicing on an
afternoon bus route.
But
please hear me when I say this: God is
the only One in this story worthy of awe! In that moment when my soul was
moved, it was because the Holy Spirit allowed me to see how the Father had graciously
used our youngest. And listen, I think Matilyn is pretty stinkin’ wonderful just
as she is. My wife and I don’t need her to become a bus stop evangelist to gain
our affection. She already has it – all of it. All the love we have to give is
hers already. In fact, even on the days that her disobedient behavior prompts us to carry-out those “un-fun” forms of discipline, she is loved like crazy in the midst of those
moments too. If you are a parent, certainly you get that.
Here’s
the deal… If Mati is tender toward the Lord, that is only by His grace. If her
heart is compelled with compassion for others, that is simply a mark of His
undeserved goodness. There is no credit that my wife and I can take from this
story; no praise due to any but God alone. Not to be missed here either is God’s grace
in convicting and challenging me. For through a simple conversation with a
7-year-old on our 5-minute walk home from the bus stop, I was faced with some
important thoughts to consider: Why is it that my faith is so often not very child-like (Luke 18:15-17)? Why am I so timid? What is the
source of my doubts?
How do
you respond to those around you? Do you even see them? Are you hesitant to
share of your faith in our risen Savior? If so, have you identified the primary
reason? Is there anything you can do to grow in this regard? Are you tangibly
positioning yourself to mature and be obedient? These are many of the questions
we must hash through. Though we may not particularly love the answers we
discover, taking such inventory is a worthwhile endeavor for us all.
Father, grow our trust in You and grant unto us a
willing spirit. Give us spiritual eyes to see and your grace to go. For our joy
and Your glory, Lord increase our faith. Amen
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| Matt Fowler - Family Pastor of HS |
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