he handed the note and the stick back to me…

Babies struggle into the world when they pass through the birth canal or when they are yanked into the world directly from the womb through an incision. 

It seems that from the time we fight our way into the world until the time of the final struggle for the soul’s release into eternity we are in a quandary of one type or another.

I thought of that and went to where there is a lot of advice and wisdom. It’s in the third chapter of Ecclesiastes and I think this verse is familiar to most, it starts by saying: 

“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: It is verse six I want to mention, it says: A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away;”

I happened upon a little box that was tucked into the back of my closet, I found several treasures. 

One was a beautifully hand knitted red sweater that my Dad’s mother had made for me when I was about 12 months old, there are pictures of me wearing it. It is in excellent shape, no holes only two missing buttons and a little worn around the edges of the sleeve, the remaining white pearl buttons are still shining bright. 

                                       Then something caught my attention,   

it was two fragile sticks that had red yarn woven in and around to form a crude type of a dream catcher, at least that was my best guess. There was a yellowed piece of notepaper under it in my own handwriting, so I took it over to the window for a better light because the letter written with a pencil was very faded. It read:

 “Dear Mimi, Auntie and Pobbie, I have builded this stick for you. I am happy to give it to you for Mother’s Day. Mother writted the note I builded the thing. Dear Mimi, I love you,” and it was signed “Feel Facer” 

Now I know that doesn’t mean a thing to you, but it was a note I had written for “Dr Ara” before he learned to write or obviously use good grammar! I took great pleasure in reading it over and then of course I read it to the good Doctor himself.

We look at things like that and I realized how much I miss the child who worded the note and made the little dream weaver, who played with his little model cars for hours, wore superhero capes and slept peacefully at night with no cares or worries. Now he has twin three year old’s himself…

In our faith walk we start out that way not using the “spiritual” terms that others might use, being overzealous, taking things a bit too far, making people run when they see us coming with our New Testament, 

                                          but then we begin to grow in the Lord, 

and as we grow and learn more of Him and His ways. But here is where I wish that instead of being mature and bored with new Christians, we could keep a little of the enthusiasm that is tempered with wisdom in our own daily walk. 

I looked at my grown son reading that little note, and he was happy to see it and examined the sticks with the yarn carefully, but when he got ready to go home he handed the note and the stick back to me for safe keeping, he has grown up and doesn’t need to keep the reminder of his “childish” days.

1 Cor. 13:11 When I was a child, I talked like a child; I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.

                                   Don’t beat yourself up if you are trying to learn.

James 1:5-8 If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.

I can imagine that when we are new to the faith God loves us, and smiles at our ignorance, but as we grow in the Spirit God expects us to quit messing in our pants!

I learned long ago that if I had a question, I simply ask Him and He answers! You can ask Him too and He will help!

Put away the childish things that bring you down or remind you of “the old days “which usually only causes you heartache and sometimes gets you into trouble! 

When you aren’t feeling worthy just remember that God loves you.