Tomorrow Louisa plans to wash my windows, and for some of them she’ll need a grease solvent and a scraper. After 9 pairs of pudgy hands were here looking out of them for a couple of weeks (and we know children look with their hands), the windows are needy indeed.
My house wears other evidences of recent youthful visitors, too: Crayons under the table, artwork covering the fridge, toddler toys in the kitchen cabinets, and Cheerios on the children’s bookshelf.
Over the weekend I found another clue, this one a treasure. One of the children had drawn a beautiful rainbow heart and taped it to a wall in the basement. Whoever it was had had the foresight to hang it high enough to be out of range of destructive small fry.
After a few text inquiries, I learned the artist was Skylar, age 6, who left behind a little love for her Grandma Midgee. And just in case anyone wondered, she gave her work a title: “LOVE.”
Actually, she titled it “LOVE-period” as if to say, “LOVE is all there is; LOVE is where it’s at; LOVE is it.”
Skylar’s gift was truly thoughtful, because it’s something everybody wants: LOVE-period. I thought about that for a long time, trying to assess if I do as well as Skylar. When I depart, whether I drive to another state, fly to another country, or travel to heaven, have I left enough LOVE-period behind?
Easier than leaving LOVE-period is to leave tangibles that can be appreciated by the five senses, gifts that can be seen, sniffed, tasted, handled, or heard. Giving LOVE-period takes more effort, but then again it’s more meaningful and lasts longer.
Psychologists tell us every human being is born with a need to be loved. God created us that way and didn’t just plant that desire and leave us without a way to meet it. He satisfied it in a unique way.
God himself is love (1 John 4:8) and because this is true, he’s qualified to say, “I offer myself to you as your loving Father, someone who can and does love you more than any other. My love isn’t related to your behavior, doesn’t diminish over time, and knows no limits. Love is the definition of who I am. Everything I do comes out of the fact that I am Love. I am LOVE-period. And I can fully satisfy your need to be loved.”
This good news is for all of us.
As for Skylar’s rainbow heart, I’m planning to leave it on my basement wall as long as the tape sticks. And when it falls, I’ll frame it and hang it in the living room, because really, love is all that matters. LOVE-period.
Nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God. Romans 8:39
Praising and Praying with Mary
Recently I witnessed the unraveling of a love relationship. I was at our county courthouse waiting in line for my turn at the glass window, when a young couple stepped up to a different window not far from mine. The sign above theirs read, “FAMILY”.
As I waited, I watched, worrying over the reason they were at the window. The mother, looking like a middle school kid, was burdened down with a massive diaper bag, a big purse, and a heavy toddler. I just hoped they weren’t filing for divorce.
But it was worse than that.
The father (think teenager) leaned toward the window to explain. “This here is my baby, and I want to give up custody.”
The woman on the other side of the glass winced a little and said, “You mean you want to terminate your rights as a father?”
“Yeah,” he said, without a bit of emotion. “See, I don’t wanna give ‘em any more money. I haven’t worked for a year, and I don’t have any money. I wanna be done.”
I glanced at the mother, who had moved to a folding chair nearby. She, too, was without emotion.
A rush of grief swept through me, and I wanted to know every detail about these three people. Had they finished high school? Did they have a place to live? Had they raised their baby together so far? Were their parents helping? Had they told anyone what they were doing today? Did they have any money? Or food? (Both were reed thin.) But it was my turn at the other window.
A few minutes later out in the hall, I saw the young mother sitting on a bench, her baby on her lap. I smiled at her, and she smiled back, so I walked up and said, “You have a sweet baby there. How old is he?”
“Almost two,” she said, turning his face so I could see him better. “He was born two months too soon, but the doctor says he’s doing pretty good.”
“He’s darling,” I said. “You must be very proud of him.”
“Oh, I am,” she said, and we continued to chat, two moms who both love children.
When I finally stepped toward the elevator she said, “I hope you have a really nice day, ma’am, a really good day.” I wished her the same, but hopelessness washed over me. The sting of tears made me grateful I was headed for the privacy of my car.
When I got there, though, the Lord chided me. “That situation is not hopeless. You should know better than that. Why don’t you stop despairing and pray for them?”
As I prayed, God reminded me he already knows the answers to my many questions about them. He also has the power to affect change in their lives, and praying for them was an opportunity to trust the Lord to act on their behalf.
With God involved, nothing is ever hopeless.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3)
Praising and Praying with Mary