Then little children were being brought to him in order that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples spoke sternly to those who brought them; but Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs." Matthew 19:13,14
I don't know if you have ever had or dealt with small children. I've got a son who is three and a half years old. A beautiful child, God has blessed us with, but a typical three year old. And, like many young children, he will become attached to certain objects. About a week and a half ago, my father-in-law bought him a small, stuffed dolphin. That night we introduced Benjamin to Flipper and that toy has become his best friend. He speaks to it and plays with it. It is a close friend. And, as many people with small children, we have a routine at our house. We have been blessed that my wife can be a stay at home mom, so Benjamin doesn't usually have to get up until he's ready, though he's normally up by 8 am or so. The exception to this rule is Sunday mornings.
And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:24,25
My wife sings with the praise and worship team at church for the early service. Plus, we are attempting to transition Benjamin into the service and out of the nursery. So, our routine on Sunday is different, which is entirely appropriate. We get up earlier, go out to breakfast and get to the church an hour before the first service so the praise and worship team can practice. Benjamin and I usually find ourselves in the chapel where we pray for the service and then I'll tell him what the banners hanging there mean, or he'll tell me and ask if he got the story right. One banner that he particularly enjoys is one that has five loaves and two fishes. With minimal prompting, he can tell that story and I think it's great that he is getting an early grounding in such things, although explaining the Trinity to a three year old is a test of simplification without losing the main points.
Last Sunday was a special day for Benjamin for another reason. He was supposed to sing in the Children's Choir for the first time. As the youngest one up there, he wasn't quite ready and he ended up leaving the service early with Celia. I enjoyed the rest of the service and then took my wife's viola and headed downstairs for Sunday School. After Sunday School we ended up going home because Benjamin was tired, so he missed his opportunity to sing second service, but the nap did him a lot of good. We played on Sunday, had some good family time and, as 8:30 PM rolled around, got ready to watch Flipper on TV.
That was when we discovered Flipper was missing. First we called the restaurant where we had breakfast. No, no one had turned in a stuffed dolphin. I was fairly sure we had taken it to church but not positive. Where could it be? Benjamin, on the other hand, was weeping with deep sorrow because his best friend wasn't there.
"So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you." Luke 11:9
One other routine we have is that we say family prayers before Benjamin goes to sleep, at least every night that he doesn't go to sleep early on us. We calmed him down enough to explain that we were going to pray and that he could pray for Flipper's safe return. We did and my wife recommended that I call my friend who has keys to the church and explain the situation.
He understood and met me there. We had no idea where Flipper might be. If someone had found him perhaps he would have been locked in the church offices. Or maybe someone had put him in with the rest of the childrens' toys. We went into the sanctuary and there, in the pew that we had occupied only for the first service, sat Flipper. By the time I finished thanking my friend and got home, Benjamin was already asleep, but we tucked Flipper under his arm and thanked God for answering our prayers.
I'll grant you that this is a small prayer to be answered, but trusting God in the little things is just as necessary as trusting Him in the big things. Many times God answers prayers in ways that we only realize by looking back, but every answered prayer is a treasure to savor and share.
God's peace on you
Josef
Then little children were being brought to him in order that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples spoke sternly to those who brought them; but Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs." Matthew 19:13,14
I don't know if you have ever had or dealt with small children. I've got a son who is three and a half years old. A beautiful child, God has blessed us with, but a typical three year old. And, like many young children, he will become attached to certain objects. About a week and a half ago, my father-in-law bought him a small, stuffed dolphin. That night we introduced Benjamin to Flipper and that toy has become his best friend. He speaks to it and plays with it. It is a close friend. And, as many people with small children, we have a routine at our house. We have been blessed that my wife can be a stay at home mom, so Benjamin doesn't usually have to get up until he's ready, though he's normally up by 8 am or so. The exception to this rule is Sunday mornings.
And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:24,25
My wife sings with the praise and worship team at church for the early service. Plus, we are attempting to transition Benjamin into the service and out of the nursery. So, our routine on Sunday is different, which is entirely appropriate. We get up earlier, go out to breakfast and get to the church an hour before the first service so the praise and worship team can practice. Benjamin and I usually find ourselves in the chapel where we pray for the service and then I'll tell him what the banners hanging there mean, or he'll tell me and ask if he got the story right. One banner that he particularly enjoys is one that has five loaves and two fishes. With minimal prompting, he can tell that story and I think it's great that he is getting an early grounding in such things, although explaining the Trinity to a three year old is a test of simplification without losing the main points.
Last Sunday was a special day for Benjamin for another reason. He was supposed to sing in the Children's Choir for the first time. As the youngest one up there, he wasn't quite ready and he ended up leaving the service early with Celia. I enjoyed the rest of the service and then took my wife's viola and headed downstairs for Sunday School. After Sunday School we ended up going home because Benjamin was tired, so he missed his opportunity to sing second service, but the nap did him a lot of good. We played on Sunday, had some good family time and, as 8:30 PM rolled around, got ready to watch Flipper on TV.
That was when we discovered Flipper was missing. First we called the restaurant where we had breakfast. No, no one had turned in a stuffed dolphin. I was fairly sure we had taken it to church but not positive. Where could it be? Benjamin, on the other hand, was weeping with deep sorrow because his best friend wasn't there.
"So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you." Luke 11:9
One other routine we have is that we say family prayers before Benjamin goes to sleep, at least every night that he doesn't go to sleep early on us. We calmed him down enough to explain that we were going to pray and that he could pray for Flipper's safe return. We did and my wife recommended that I call my friend who has keys to the church and explain the situation.
He understood and met me there. We had no idea where Flipper might be. If someone had found him perhaps he would have been locked in the church offices. Or maybe someone had put him in with the rest of the childrens' toys. We went into the sanctuary and there, in the pew that we had occupied only for the first service, sat Flipper. By the time I finished thanking my friend and got home, Benjamin was already asleep, but we tucked Flipper under his arm and thanked God for answering our prayers.
I'll grant you that this is a small prayer to be answered, but trusting God in the little things is just as necessary as trusting Him in the big things. Many times God answers prayers in ways that we only realize by looking back, but every answered prayer is a treasure to savor and share.
God's peace on you
Josef