Day 10: Do you believe as a child? - 14 February 2019
By Benescke Janse van Rensburg
Earlier this week I received an e-mail from a Verse-a-Day reader. Her story touched me deeply, as I was reminded once again that we have to have faith like a child.
Marga: “Last year, a day before Valentine’s Day, I sat discouraged and frustrated in front of my child’s school. There was only R72.66 in my bank account. My salary was only due on 15 February. I haven’t eaten properly for days and I was disappointed in myself. How was it possible that once a top student at school would sit here without help, without food and without hope?
“Since my divorce, five years prior, many things have changed. To support my daughter, I had to change from a half-day job to working full-time. After the January Back to School expenses, I was left with only a small amount of money to get through the month. My hope was that my child would forget about her teacher telling them to wear something extra special on Valentine's Day. She was out of her skin with excitement a week earlier when she shared the news that they they had to wear something red, white or pink. The teacher was going to award a prize to the child with the cutest outfit. We didn’t have any money to buy something special.
“That afternoon, my child embraced me with a broad smile when I went to fetch her - despite the fact that she had only been eating Weet-Bix at home for 3 days in a row! On the way home, she excitedly told me that tomorrow was the big day to dress up! My heart felt like lead.
“‘That night she prayed, ‘Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for my beautiful dress I'm going to wear tomorrow.’ Not for a moment did she doubt that I was going to have a dress ready for her the next day. With a lump in my throat, I put her to bed and closed the door behind her. In the living area of our one-man apartment, I broke down and cried. How could I disappoint this child? ‘Lord, help!’ I prayed.
Although I am no professional when it comes to needle work, I went to the wardrobe we shared. Between my clothes, I discovered an old red satin skirt and a brightly-colored dress of my little girl (which was almost too small for her). I slowly started to cut off the red satin from my dress before sowing it onto her dress changing it one stitch at a time. My hands worked like it wasn't my own. In the early hours of the next day, I hung her new dress on a hanger in front of our bed. Underneath I placed an old pair of shoes, I painted red with the only red nail polish I had.
"The next morning, I (and I think our entire apartment block), was awakened by my 5-year-old girl's excited, shrill voice: ‘Mom, you remembered!’ With trembling hands of excitement, she took off the dress from the hanger and put it on. We put beads around her neck and hair clips in her hair. She looked beautiful.
“After I dropped my daughter off at her class, I walked back to my car. In my heart I suddenly heard the words: ‘Have faith like a child.’ Tears started flowing over my cheeks as I realized that my child did not have any doubt that I was going to have a dress ready for her. Still, we as adults at times, doubt that God, the Creator of the universe, would provide for us in difficult times. This incident made me realize that our Father loves us even more than we love our children and wants what is best for them. All we need to do is trust Him like a child! He truly is a God of love.”
Marga is right. God wants to demonstrate His goodness practically to us. In Matthew 17:20, Jesus says: “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” May we learn from Marga's daughter and, instead of trying to figure everything out, choose to trust God like a child. God bless.
Father God, thank you for Your love. Please help me not to take my eyes off of you, but to keep believing in your goodness like a child. I ask this in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
• See photo of Marga and her daughter: http://benescke.co.za/dag-10-glo-jy-soos-n-kind/ Or see on the Stories van Hoop page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/storiesvanhoop/
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