Matthew 7:11
Hey Everyone ~ In one week, it will be my privilege to introduce you to the lady in the story! Monica will be a guest blogger on the next post. Because of the incident you're about to read, I discovered she is a gifted writer with wisdom beyond her years. I've included the link to her own blog - message from the MOB ( mother of boys) below so you can find out for yourself :) I'm looking forward to you guys meeting :) Ok...now for the story....
Just a regular Tuesday morning… Jumped out of my car
headed for the double glass doors to enter a new workday. My arms
overflowed with computer bag, purse, present for someone in the
office and …my keys. As I fumbled for the right key I noticed a
little red headed boy with his mom and baby brother in the
hallway. Instantly I thought, “Oh good! Maybe Monica will just
open the door for me.” I hate trying to juggle all of this junk just to
get in the door.
About
that time the little redheaded 4 year old pointed his finger straight at
me and began laughing at my dilemma; that I’m locked outside the building
and he’s safe and sound inside the building. I threw my
shoulders back, dropped my chin and squinched (I think I just made that word up…but you know what I mean, right?)
up my forehead all in one seamless motion. Was he really laughing at
me? I didn’t realize I looked that pathetic. I felt that pathetic, just didn’t
realize it showed!
His mother threw her shoulders back
and squinched up her forehead, called out his name and graciously came to
my rescue to let me in the building. With raised eyebrows
she said, “It looks like you have just been mocked!” We both
chuckled at the incident and I carried on to my office and she to
hers. I didn’t think another thing about it. I’ve been
around boys my whole life. His mocking seemed a natural boyish
thing to do...
About 30 minutes later I heard little
voices in the reception area; probably just Monica and the young ones
coming in to say hi and grab a special treat from their favorite
secretary, Mrs. Teri. But I heard the shuffle of little feet heading
my way. I peaked my head around the corner and sure enough there stood a
red headed little boy and his momma…chokes me up to remember his
horrified expression and wide eyes. The child came and
stood a few feet in front of me, staring, never moving his crocodile
sized eyes off my face. The fear in his face made me
want to rush to his side, but his mother did instead. She knelt down
close behind him and as she did his body weight fell against her
arms. He never took his eyes off mine, like a baby deer caught
in the headlights. He stood there. I sat
there. I had only worked in the office for a few weeks and this proved to
be only the second time I had ever been face to face with the lad. I
didn’t know what to do and he didn’t know what to say.
Once again his mother came to
his rescue. “Remember what you told
me upstairs? Tell Mrs. Rebecca what you said you want to
tell her.” Eyes glued to my face, he swallowed hard as if
trying to pump words out of a deep well. “Go ahead,” his mother
encouraged. “Just tell her what you told me.” Then
clear as a bell the dear boy announced, “I’m sorry for making fun of
you.” My heart melted… now I really didn’t know what to do. Awestruck
at what I had just witnessed I managed to muddle out some kind of, “Oh,
that’s ok…” I wish I’d whipped up something
more comforting. Whatever I said brought the incident to a close and the
relieved boy and mom left the office.
You may think the point of this story
is about the boy. It is not. It’s about the mom. Tuesday
morning I witnessed a mother who loved her son too much to allow him bad
habits of mistreating or making fun of the less fortunate. How
much easier her life would have been to blow the whole thing off! She could have removed the awkward moments of
bringing her son to apologize and watching him agonize in front of me. But the tenderness I observed as I witnessed
Monica enabling her child to do the right thing by standing behind him,
even holding him up when he was too afraid to stand on his own… demonstrated
a beautiful, heart-warming 3-D picture of our Heavenly Father! I’ve
replayed that scene over and over in my mind this week. But
the characters in the story have changed. Instead, I’m that scared,
repentant little red head and my Heavenly Father is the One behind me,
gently encouraging and holding me up.
I thank God for letting me experience
that scene this week. I needed to know that my Father is with
me every step, even when I mess up. And
so is He with you, my friend! Maybe you’ll
join me in the question I’ve asked myself repeatedly, “Do you seriously
think that Monica loves her son any more than the Father loves
you?” The answer is…No way, Jose! “If you then being evil know
how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your
Father, which is in Heaven, give good things unto them that
ask Him?” Matt. 7:11 You are loved with an
everlasting love! Don’t reject it or dismiss it. Bask in it.
Humble yourself to accept His grace.
And live free and light today!
Rebecca
Love this story, Thanks so much for sharing it. I have found myself in a mess more than once lately. :) I'm so glad God loves us where we are at that moment and pulls us close. Blessings.
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