May You Always Remain As You Are Today
“as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.”
1 Peter 2:2-3
Enjoying lunch with one of my dearest friends that I have known since I was in junior high school, I pretty much have heard most his life stories, some more than once! This time however, he shared something he had never shared before and it was so touching I had to write it down. Often when we get together we spend a lot of our time discussing “divine appointments” and how the Lord reveals Himself to us through the course of our individual days. Each time we get together we sit in awe of God in how through all these years the Lord has faithfully directed our steps and knit our lives together. We always leave our time together built up and encouraged in our faith and with a deeper love and appreciation for one another. Yesterday was no exception.
My friend and I were both brought up in our earliest days as Roman Catholics. My friend was sharing with me how while he was taking the required catechism classes as a young boy so he could receive Holy Communion the Nun leading the class asked the students one day if they had any questions. Being a young boy age six or so he had a heart that was inquisitive, you know, the kind that asks a million ‘why’ questions. When the Nun called on my friend to ask his question he eagerly responded, “can God build a dog house without using any nails or a hammer?” It was an honest question from the heart of a child that most likely was asked because my friend had recalled watching his dad wrestle through the building of a dog house for their family pet. He remembered seeing wood of different shapes and sizes strewn all over the driveway and that there seemed to be a lot of nails and hammering associated with its construction. So the question just seemed logical.
The Nun was not taken back by the question as she must have seen the sincerity in my friends asking. She simply replied, “God can do anything, nothing is impossible with God.” Question asked, answer given and fully accepted. No other questions needed as the answer sufficed. Through the years the Lord has taken my friend back to that moment many times to remind him why child hood faith is what God desires that we have, a simple faith that takes God at His word and trusts Him. A child doesn’t have to try to figure everything out. They do need to know they are being listened to and that there is nothing wrong with asking questions as often times in life the answers we need are in the very questions we ask.
As my friend shared his story he came to this point and stopped. He was choked up by what he recalled had happened next. Upon completion of his catechism class the Nun gave him a card with a hand written note in it that even to this day he has not forgotten and it still brings him to tears as he recalls its message. On the inside of the card were the words, “May you always remain as you are today.” My friend recalls the innocence of being six years old and having the kind of faith Jesus speaks of when He said in Mark 10:14-15, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."
What makes this story so special is the fact that my friend is in his seventy’s and still desires to have childhood faith. It's just one of the reasons I enjoy spending time with him. He knows the struggle between knowledge and faith, simple childhood faith that pleases God. What the Nun wished for my friend when he was just six years of age remains his prayer for himself, for me and for you today. May each of us come with simple childlike faith to receive the love of God and the forgiveness of our sins made possible when God gave His Only Begotten Son that whosoever would believe in Him would not perish but have everlasting life. May we always believe in possibilities for nothing is impossible for God, even building a dog house without a hammer or nails!
“And Jesus took the children up in His arms, put His hands on them, and blessed them.”
Mark 10:16
I LOVE YOU!
1 Peter 2:2-3
Enjoying lunch with one of my dearest friends that I have known since I was in junior high school, I pretty much have heard most his life stories, some more than once! This time however, he shared something he had never shared before and it was so touching I had to write it down. Often when we get together we spend a lot of our time discussing “divine appointments” and how the Lord reveals Himself to us through the course of our individual days. Each time we get together we sit in awe of God in how through all these years the Lord has faithfully directed our steps and knit our lives together. We always leave our time together built up and encouraged in our faith and with a deeper love and appreciation for one another. Yesterday was no exception.
My friend and I were both brought up in our earliest days as Roman Catholics. My friend was sharing with me how while he was taking the required catechism classes as a young boy so he could receive Holy Communion the Nun leading the class asked the students one day if they had any questions. Being a young boy age six or so he had a heart that was inquisitive, you know, the kind that asks a million ‘why’ questions. When the Nun called on my friend to ask his question he eagerly responded, “can God build a dog house without using any nails or a hammer?” It was an honest question from the heart of a child that most likely was asked because my friend had recalled watching his dad wrestle through the building of a dog house for their family pet. He remembered seeing wood of different shapes and sizes strewn all over the driveway and that there seemed to be a lot of nails and hammering associated with its construction. So the question just seemed logical.
The Nun was not taken back by the question as she must have seen the sincerity in my friends asking. She simply replied, “God can do anything, nothing is impossible with God.” Question asked, answer given and fully accepted. No other questions needed as the answer sufficed. Through the years the Lord has taken my friend back to that moment many times to remind him why child hood faith is what God desires that we have, a simple faith that takes God at His word and trusts Him. A child doesn’t have to try to figure everything out. They do need to know they are being listened to and that there is nothing wrong with asking questions as often times in life the answers we need are in the very questions we ask.
As my friend shared his story he came to this point and stopped. He was choked up by what he recalled had happened next. Upon completion of his catechism class the Nun gave him a card with a hand written note in it that even to this day he has not forgotten and it still brings him to tears as he recalls its message. On the inside of the card were the words, “May you always remain as you are today.” My friend recalls the innocence of being six years old and having the kind of faith Jesus speaks of when He said in Mark 10:14-15, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."
What makes this story so special is the fact that my friend is in his seventy’s and still desires to have childhood faith. It's just one of the reasons I enjoy spending time with him. He knows the struggle between knowledge and faith, simple childhood faith that pleases God. What the Nun wished for my friend when he was just six years of age remains his prayer for himself, for me and for you today. May each of us come with simple childlike faith to receive the love of God and the forgiveness of our sins made possible when God gave His Only Begotten Son that whosoever would believe in Him would not perish but have everlasting life. May we always believe in possibilities for nothing is impossible for God, even building a dog house without a hammer or nails!
“And Jesus took the children up in His arms, put His hands on them, and blessed them.”
Mark 10:16
I LOVE YOU!
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