I had another devotional written to share today…but then God told me to write these thoughts instead. Many times I have no idea why He changes what I share at the last minute…I just know I need to listen to His gentle promptings and let Him handle the rest.
I’m sharing several pictures with you today. One of them is a picture of my five-year-old grandson, Ezra (behind the plant!). The rest of the pictures are just a sampling of what he has given us throughout the last year. Every time he comes to our home…or we go to his…or even see him someplace else…he has something to give us that he has made. Just last week, we were at his brothers’ basketball games…and as soon as he saw me, he said, “I made something for you Grandma…but I forgot it at home.” He didn’t know at the time that his mom had slipped his drawing into her purse. So, minutes later, smiling from ear to ear…he handed me an envelope with his precious artwork inside.
The day he gave me the paper folded to look like a dog, he also gave one to my husband. In fact, I found out he had made many of them. It had been his week at preschool to show his class something from home…and Ezra chose to take a bag full of these folded papers so each classmate could choose one to keep.
This summer when he attended Vacation Bible School at his church, I happened to see him on two of the days as he came out from his class. I could just see the wheels turning in his head…as he contemplated which craft he would give me that he had made that day. Then, a smile would fill his face and he’d reach into his bag of goodies and hand me one of them. Be. Still. My. Heart.
In case you haven’t figured it out yet…Ezra’s love language is giving. He is always looking for ways to bless people with something he has created. It just thrills me to see him, at such a young age, want to let others know of his love for them. In a time when most people are trying to figure out how they can get more…he is trying to figure out how he can give more.
Oh, what lessons we can learn from this precious boy. I know he sure has made me do some contemplating on my life. How do I view others? Do I look at them, wondering what they can give me…or do for me? Am I jealous over what they have…or am I always wanting to make sure I have better possessions to show-off to them? Do I go out of my way to make sure that those I encounter know that I care about them and love them? Do I bless them by demonstrating that I have been thinking about them when we’ve been apart?
I want to be more like Ezra. I realize that each of us have different “love languages”…and our way of showing our love to others may be different…but I think we need to evaluate whether we are using those qualities to truly bless others. I hope so. Because life is just happier when Ezra is around…and I hope the same can be said about me :-)
“And do not forget to do good
and to share with others,
for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”
Hebrews 13:16
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