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Isaiah 11:6b – A little child will lead them. (NIV)
"Take this to your mother to hold in her hands," the little girl said.
This little girl stood out at the front of a group of much taller children who had just come into our inner-city mission. I was surprised to see her again so soon. She had been with us the previous day when we had taken her age group out for an after-school swim at a local pool.
And when we had returned to the mission to have a Bible story with cocoa and cookies, I had told these young children that I planned to drive out to the country after the next day's club to visit my mother who was very sick. Then these small children had included a prayer for my mother among their brief prayers of "Thank You, God, for the cookies," "Thank You for the story and the swim," and "Thank You, God, for my grandmother."
But now, this little girl, with her long dark hair and oval face so serious, was standing close in front of me. "Take this to your mother to hold in her hands," she said. And I saw, in her small brownish hand, a little yellow star cut from school art paper. I put it in my pocket while thanking her sincerely. And she went on her way satisfied.
I did take that star to my mother, and I told her about the little girl and her request. And my mother, so ill after major surgery that she understood little beyond a child's star and a child's love, held it in her hands as she lay there so still.
Gradually, my mother recovered and lived on for six relatively good years. Yet once more, I saw that little star: My mother, with her hair so white, sat at her kitchen table fingering through a box of her get-well cards and such treasures –- it must have been one of her last years — and there it was! It had not gone the way of the hospital's disposal bin.
But why does that star still strike me so poignantly? Maybe it's that it holds out a challenge to us all to be like that little child — so pliantly open to the leading of our Lord's Spirit as just naturally to do the fitting thing.
Romans 8:14 – Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. (NIV)
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You were once a little child, and You grew up to say, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these" (Matthew 19:14 NIV). Keep us remembering that Your Spirit always guides in the way of Your grace and the principles of Your Word of truth and love. Amen.
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Amen to your prayer.
Thanks Isabel for the good word.
Lovely devotional Isabel, Thank you.
Thank you for sharing this true reflection of God’s love for all of us. God bless you.
Isabel, What a touching example for us to follow. “…and a little child shall lead them. (Isaiah 11:6d KJV)” Thank you for writing. Blessings.
Isabel!
Thank you for writing.
Amen to your prayer!!!
Dear Isabel,
Angels come in all shapes and sizes!
Thanks for sharing your story today.
(England)
Thank you Isabel for that moving recount of a little child’s faith and a mother’s trust. Probably at the time of its happening it didn’t have the impact that it would have years later on, even to today. Oh for the grace to have the faith of a child in our later years of doubt and distrust. Wonderful story.
Blessings.
Isabel – I loved your story today. Yes, working with children as I have for years in Sunday School and in children’s choirs has given me a picture of the very heart of God. Such love and trust is displayed through the very actions and thought processes of children, showing us God’s unconditional love for us. Wow!
May God continue to shine through your writing.
Good Morning Isabel:
I do believe inner city mission work is one of the most rewarding and gratifying ministries there is. You work with folks who have so little, often nothing, yet their hearts are so big and they will share the last morsel of food they have with someone else.
Your story of the little girl certainly enlightened my heart. This dear little child gave to your mother, a total stranger, the only thing of her own she was in possession of that day. However what was even more enlightening about your story was the fact that your mother realized the value of the gift and treasured it by keeping it for a long, long time. I am sure each time she looked through her little box of treasures she remembered the kindness of the small child she did not know.
You asked the question: But why does that star still strike me so poignantly? The gift of the star strikes me poignantly because when we look deeper into the meaning of this lovely gift, the star really meant something special to the little girl and she was willing to share it to make your mother happy. She was, in her own small way, so like our Heavenly Father who shared the life of His Son with us in order that we might have peace of mind, happiness and salvation.
They both gave the most precious gift they had. I loved this story. I probably took a very elementary lesson from it, but it was a great lesson for me.
Thank you so much for such a lovely story. My Mother has been diagnosed with cancer and is now awaiting surgery which will forever change the way her 87 year old body looks. As her youngest child, I have had the great gift of getting to know my Mother better as a child, than my siblings did. They were in school and I was alone with my mom all day. It is through her my love for God was planted and grew strong. Your
devotional reminded me of art work that I did as a child, and in the box of pictures and treasures is a very simple but special picture I drew for her, when I was a very young child. I was surprised to see how much she had treasured this picture. As we moved a lot many things got left behind or lost in the move but the treasures of this box moved wherever we moved.
Thank you so much for reminding me of this loving act from me to my mother and how important that simple became, to both of us.