Having 12 grandchildren is an ongoing blessing, and I’m grateful for this set of little people (ages 9 and under) whose approach to life is always fresh.

Whenever I read about the relationship Jesus had with children, I’m impressed with how strong his admiration was. As a 30-something man who never had children of his own, he showed more interest in little ones than most men of his demographic. But there was a good reason.

Jesus touted children as being able to teach adults a thing or two and urged his followers to humble themselves enough to learn from them. I get that, because my grands have frequently taught me things – like not to jump to negative conclusions when things aren’t going well.

Emerald, age 5, recently became my teacher. She lives in Iowa, and her “curriculum” arrived as an unexpected gift in the mail. The real gift, though, wasn’t in the box but was in her words.

Confident of my love for her, Emerald decided to make a necklace for me as a reminder of the relationship we enjoy. She used my favorite color, red, and strung 7 special beads in the middle that spelled out her name.

Her mom, Birgitta, admired the necklace when it was finished but noticed that one bead had been strung incorrectly. “Do you want to fix the ‘L’ since it’s upside-down?”

Emerald studied the necklace for a minute and then said, “No. It looks fine to me.”

Birgitta, wanting the gift to be just right had started to coax a bit when Emerald said, “Mommy, everything’s not always perfect, but everything is always great.”

As I read this in the note Birgitta had included with the gift, the light of truth blinked on for me. That’s exactly how the Bible tells us to think. It says we’re to “always give thanks to God for everything,” (Ephesians 5:20) implying that everything has a great-factor buried in it.

In other words, no matter how flawed or difficult life becomes, our first thought ought to be that there’s something great hidden in it… because God is the One orchestrating (or permitting) the circumstances.

The hard part is learning to spot the great within the not-so-great. Jesus wants us to focus on what God might be doing behind the scenes rather than just on what we see up close, and then dwelling on that. Thanking him for that.

Emerald’s gift (to MeeMee) hangs with my most valuable necklaces. And as I wear it and hear comments about the upside-down “L”, I get to pass along the wisdom she taught me – something more valuable than the priciest jewelry.

Jesus said, “I tell you the truth. Anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (Mark 10:15)