Love and Guidance

We had the pleasure, this week, of having our granddaughter – age 3 – visiting us. Lily is the only grandchild, so you can just imagine how she is loved and doted upon. She lives in the north, so our in-person visits with her are widely spaced, and we use Skype to assist us in a “personal” communication as we watch her grow and develop, Because we’re not used to having a small child in our midst, we hang on her every word and gesture, we gasp if she stumbles, we hurt if she cries - in short, we’re in love with this precious child.

Even as we love Lily, we’re also mindful that she has free will and that her explorations will take her in directions that we know could be harmful; therefore we set limits on her such as a fence around the pool, belting into a car seat, not reaching to the stovetop. You see, out of love, we limit her access to danger and provide a supportive environment for her to explore and learn. She is dependent on her parents and other adults for her worldly needs just as we’re dependent on God for grace.

I’ve been reading, in Acts, how the early Christian church was provided leadership by God through the Holy Spirit, how the apostles were empowered to teach and heal, and how the Gentiles received the gifts of grace and faith. In much the same way that Lily is unaware of how her parents love and guide her daily, and attend to even the needs of which she is unaware, we can be sure that what we need for eternal life was provided by our God through the risen Jesus and the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Sadly, Lily and other children are not the only ones unable to care for themselves. We heard about the children (and adults) of Haiti, still living in need. We heard Pastor Nathan exhort us to not only see the needs of others, but to find a way to act to help. Look around and find someone to love by providing for their needs. Remember that Jesus told us that what we do to the least, we have done to Him.

Author: Diane Bechtold