The One Who Came to Love us All

Isn't it amazing how God uses the little things in life.. the seemingly unnoticed moments.. to impact us and make a lasting change within us? All around us life is screaming, fighting for our attention. Then there are those perfectly common moments. No screaming and no juxtapositioning for our attention. In fact, so quiet and unnoticed that they often can't be aesthetically measured. Yet on the decibel level of the heart they register off the charts. Like a tuning fork, their memories resonate, leaving us pensive and forever changed. Yesterday was one such moment.

My kids and I decided to spend the day sharing and playing with some orphan girls. I hate that word, "orphan." It's a poorly suited word to describe such beautifully fashioned girls. In fact, they are not orphaned at all. By the world's standards they may fit the criteria of being an orphan; no father, no mother, no close living relative. But thru the eyes of the One who formed them within their mother's womb and who designed them with a purpose...they are not orphans! They are daughters of destiny! They are lavishly loved by the One who will never leave them or forsake them. It was a perspective I gained when I allowed God to open my eyes and change the way I look at things.

It was a wonderful afternoon of sharing together. I read them the Christmas story, some hearing it for the first time. I tried to make it real and personal to them by explaining how Josesph was a carpenter, mary was his "wife." They didn't have much, just a few things..one of which was a donkey. ( I was leading up to how she rode on the donkey to Bethlehem). One of the girls spoke up, "I've seen one of those donkeys in a book once!" Another said, "I've seen them on the road!" Such wide eyed wonder over a simple donkey! I continued on with the story. When I came to the part about a special baby being born I asked, "Do you know who that special baby was?" One little girl meekly spoke up with a bit of a question in her statement, "He's the One who came to love us all."

Wow! Out of the mouth of babes. For a moment I was silent, transfixed on this simple statement with such profound truth. He is indeed the One who came to love us all... the "fatherless", the missionary, the teacher, the office manager, the corporate head, the preacher, the vet, the general practitioner, the policeman, the clerk,... ALL! The truth is, by God's standards there is no such word as "fatherless" if we simply let Him love us as He came to do. A lesson learned from a sweet, little 6 year old, "daughter of destiny."

After the story we all gathered round the table and made little angel ornaments to hang on their tree. Wes played Christmas carols on his violin while Savannah accompanied him on her flute. Memories were made as we sang along while Meghan and I helped in making those special angels. Yet the special memory that resonates on in my heart wasn't what "we" did but what that sweet little girls said, "He is the One who came to love us all."

So with that said.... Merry Christmas dear friends as we stop to remember the One who came to love us all!