It begins around week ago, with our daughter Carley and a friend in her 1st grade class at school. I know you probably already know this but, Carley is one of those kids who always makes friends easily, wherever she goes. Well, she and her buddy Kashton were playing at recess and talking about the Bible. Carley has been reading a lot from the Bible lately for her weekly reading homework and sometimes takes her Bible stories book to school with her to read. Carley asked Kashton about coming to church with her and he said he couldn't. She asked why. He said, "You can't go to church if you don't have a Bible, and I don't have one." Carley assured him that it would be ok to go to church without one but eventually the subject changed and recess was over.
That evening we were going out to celebrate Jeremy's birthday in Sherman. Before going to the restaurant we decided to go to the Christian book store to look around and maybe find some new music if they had any CD's on sale. So, on our way there Carley tells us about her friend and their conversation and says, "Would it be ok if I buy Kashton a Bible tonight?" ......well, how on earth could we possibly say no to a request like that! Of course you can!
So we go into the store and pick out a great kids study Bible with illustrations and, study notes, etc. just like what we would want our own kids to have. Carley was so very excited as we checked out and so were we.
After dinner when we got home Carley and I wrapped the gift in a bright blue bag with green tissue paper and carley wrote a special card:
The next day the gift was delivered.
Then, I got nervous. For the first time I thought "oh no, what if we have totally offended his parents", "what if the gift is rejected and Carley little heart is crushed". But I knew in my heart that it was wrong to have these kind of doubts, God had placed something on my child's heart and she had followed in obedience and I never want to stand in the way of that!
So another day went by and Carley came home with a note from Kashton and a big smile on her face! He had loved the gift!
Then on Friday afternoon Carley came home with a card in her backpack addressed "to Carley's Mom". I opened the card and read through the long beautiful note and wept.
Kashton's mom told me in her note that she wanted me to know how God had used our little girl in their lives. They are members of a church but had not been going in quite a while. Their son's Sunday school teacher had told them that since he had moved up to a new Sunday school class it would be good for him to have a Bible, but all they had was a little picture book Bible from when he was a baby so they were embarrassed. They quit going to church. They planned to get him a Bible and go back but things came up and time passed by and weeks stretched on, life was busy, and they hadn't gone back. Then as she said in her note, God used our little girl to bring their little boy a the Bible he wanted and needed.... and their family back to church.
You see why I wept.
His mom also shared her phone number with me and asked if we could get the kids together for play dates.
God is so amazing!
I share this story with you not to brag on my daughter (although what mom doesn't like to brag on their kids) but more importantly to share how God uses those who listen and obey.
We are learning so much about listening and obeying and being in a love relationship with our savior in a class at church called "Experiencing God - Knowing and Doing the Will of God". Then we see it being lived by our kids. I am humbled. I am overcome. I am undone. Kids have none of our hang-ups, doubts, baggage, regrets, hurts or fears holding them back from such incredibly pure faith and following. May we learn to leave all of our "stuff" at His feet and come to Jesus as little children ready to receive His love and to give it to others.
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