St. Matthew 18:3&4 - And (Jesus) said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
While lying in bed one early morning with my three-year-old son, Andrew, he suddenly tossed toward me and scratched my leg with his overgrown toenail. I must have cried “ouch” because he sat up worriedly and asked what was wrong.
“Your toenail needs clipping.”, I said, “See where it scratched me.”
His spoke so innocently, “It’s okay Mommy. I’ll pray for you.”
The simple prayer he said, “Jesus, please take the scratch away.”, brought instant tears to my eyes. His eyes were closed as he prayed and when he was done he sat up and asked to see where I had been hurt.
Disappointment clouded his little face when he realized the scratch had not instantly gone away. I reassured him that Jesus did hear his prayer, the scratch didn’t hurt anymore and tomorrow when he looked the scratch would be gone.
OOPS!
The moment those words passed my lips Andrew was satisfied that his prayer was answered, but my first thought was, “What if the scratch is still there tomorrow? How will I explain that?”
How often do we, as adults, neglect trusting the Lord completely to take care of little problems that come our way? It seems that I rarely even ask for His help with small situations and if I do ask, many times I don’t wait and trust in Him for His answer. I simply accept what is or find my own solutions.
I didn’t even think about the scratch until the next morning when Andrew woke me by pulling my covers down and saying, “Mommy see, the scratch is gone.”
Dear Lord, please help me to become as a little child so that I might be able to trust you completely without the doubts we adults so often contemplate with our prayers.
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This is a lovely article. The moments we share prayerfully with our children show us their innocence and faith. You captured this beautifully in your article. Blessings.
Hi Teresa. This story is wonderful in its simplicity. Your words brought me into your room as your son prayed for you and checked on your scratch the next morning. Good job.
Welcome to Faith Writers, Teresa. You started off with a real winner. I so enjoyed your article. Just like Dian said, you brought me right into your room with you and your son. That is really writing, dear lady, when you draw someone in. Thanks for the joy and hope to read much more from you in the future. Oh, and you wear Jesus well!
