Lavished Love

Lavished Love
By Barbara Chadwick

Let the little children come unto me for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 19:14

I was almost asleep when the phone rang. The hoarse voice asked, “Could you sub for me tomorrow?” She sounded so bad that at first I didn’t recognize Lorraine. (A teacher in our church's Preschool, Valley Baptist Academy) I said, “Sure. You go drink lots of liquids and rest.”

She began to warn me about K. “You’ll have to watch him like a hawk. He’s like a bull in a china shop. His elbows and feet have a way of hurting the other children. Oh, and he doesn’t like restriction. You have to stay practically on top of him. The other children are afraid of him.”

I took a deep breath and said, “Okay.” I hung up and tried to go back to sleep but I kept thinking, “How are you going to have strength to do this? You’re already too tired - and 16 four-year-olds? So I prayed. “Lord, give me strength for this task and a love for the children.”

He did it!

Guess what?! K. didn’t come to school that day. But R. did! R. took up where K. left off, running, snatching, angry and roaring. When I told him to get a round disk from the box for his creation instead of from J’s hand he said, “Never!” and marched off. J. said, “It’s Okay. I can give it to him.”

C. came in very quiet and clinging to his grandmother. After a bit I took his hand and said, “C, I’m a grandmother too. Come and sit in my lap.” He did. It was Wednesday and he had had a circumcision the previous Friday. As he lay back in my arms he told me of a game he had and other important stuff. He said that when they went to Wal Mart “I went to the bathroom and my pee pee had blood on it and I freaked out!” After a time of cuddling he was ready to color his booklet about Baby Jesus in a manger in Bethlehem.

B. wanted to talk to me the entire morning - Not just talk but he wanted my eyes to be on him. He explained the behavior of all the other children interspersed with stories of dragons.

A. sobbed when someone took her ball away from her. S. came and held her hand. When D. had a problem cutting his paper E. said, “I’ll help you.”

Some were selfish, angry, hurting, needing attention and needing love. Some were giving, loving and serving.

Dear Lord, do you look down from heaven and see us like these little children? I wonder, do you get exasperated with some of the things we do and clap your hands when we get it right? We are sometimes selfish, angry, hurting, needing attention and love.

Thank you for the manger and for the cross. We are so grateful that you have lavished your love on us even while we were in our sin.

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God! I John 3:1 and verse 11 – Dear friends, since God so loved us, we ought to love one another.