A Cup of Tea? and Storytelling

I was trying to change toddler's diaper, which I do on our bed,

 when he wiggled away from me, crawled under a throw blanket that was on the bed,

 leaned against the pile of pillows and said,

 

"Read a book?

Cup of tea?"

 

Toddler says most things in his little voice as if it is a question. In this case, he was quite pleased with himself, and I just had to laugh at his antic, although I have no idea where the "Cup of tea?' question came from!

 

He invited me to join him, so I did, and we spent the next several minutes snuggling together as I told him several "once upon a time" stories about a little boy and his family. He loves these stories as much as his sister and cousins did when they were tucked into bed for a nap. The telling of stories is such a wonderful way for me to incorporate real-life events with a bit of whimsy and imagination, and if I get it right, a story gets asked for over and over, such as lost puppies or kitties rescued or some kind of adventure with our golden retriever, Lucy.

 

Do you like to tell stories to the little ones in your life,

or do you remember being told stories when you were a child?

Eternity's Mirror

 

I tend to view the circumstances in my life in the here and now,

but when I stop and listen to the Holy Spirit,

He breaks through the window of my life and shows me

how to see things through His eyes.

 

I do not want to minimize the circumstances you or I may be in,

for we all have moments, days, even long periods of times when circumstances

seem to be too much. These circumstances may change or stay with us the rest of our lives.

Perhaps like me, you have a physical disability that may not change.

Perhaps a relationship is tearing at your heart.

Perhaps you do not feel God's presence and wonder if you ever will again.

These and other circumstances are very real, I know.

 

But just for now,

stop and read the prayer below.

You may want to make it your heart's prayer...

 

 

 You may want these words to be your heart's words...

 

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen,

but on what is unseen,

since what is seen is temporary,

but what is unseen is eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:18

 

 

It is my heart's desire that I may learn to take each circumstance in my life and hold it up to the mirror of eternity. I know I have a long ways to go to remember to do this, but perhaps by writing this, I will be reminded to do just that. Perhaps by reading this, you, too, may choose to join me.

 

 

Let the Little Children...

 

Toddler sits on my lap as we read

David and Goliath in the beloved Beginner’s Bible.

He loves this story.

Then he turns the pages and names the people

he knows from our readings.

As he turns and turns, he says, “I need God. Where is God?”

 

Talk about a teachable moment.

 

(source)

 

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me,

and do not hinder them,

for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Matthew 19:14