Today’s Reading: John
[Jesus said], “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.”
Good morning!
Four year old Emily was playing on the carpeted great room floor near the feet of her Mommy, who had stretched out on the sofa to rest. It had been a long day, and Rachel was tired. Emily was playing with her toy cell phone that Granny Deb and Grandpa Jeff had given her on her birthday. Every girly girl needs a bright pink cell phone, with all the ringing bells and whistles and silly jingles that go with it. Emily was happily taking one telephone call after another. “Hello,” she said, in her squeaky, high-pitched voice. “Yes, Mommy’s here. Do you want to talk to her?” Emily stood up, handing Rachel the phone. “Mommy, Meredith from heaven is calling to talk to you.” Surprised by Emily’s words, Rachel took the phone to her ear and said, “Hello?” Emily began to speak the words she heard Meredith say in her heart. “Hi Mommy, this is Meredith from heaven calling just to say I love you and I’m watching over you. Don’t be sad, Mommy. I’m with Jesus now and Buddy and me are having a great time!” (Buddy was their family dog who went to heaven last winter.) I am truly convinced that a four year old can teach all of us much more about matters of faith than most of the adult types I know.
You see, Emily sees things from a totally different perspective. She is able to see the miracle for what it is. Emily knew that even though Meredith is no longer here with us physically, she is ever present with Jesus - happy, experiencing a love and freedom that she could not even begin to imagine while on earth. Her paralysis is completely gone now; the pain has stopped. Breathing free takes on a whole new meaning in the light and love of the Savior. This miracle is obvious to a four-year-old, yet the adults in Emily's life still struggle to understand it.
Just like His disciples, they really didn’t want to hear the words of their Master. They didn’t want to let go or face the fact that He would die. Longing to hold on to the Savior just a little bit longer, the disciples were not hearing what Jesus was trying to convey. Jesus pleaded with them to believe. “Just believe by faith. I’m telling you the Father is in me, and I am in Him, and if you don’t understand this, then just believe on the evidence of the miracles you’ve already seen.” It is a miracle that we wake up each morning, with the possibilities of a brand new day. It is a miracle that we have the potential to reach out and touch another human heart with the Gospel. It is a miracle that God loves us so much that He would go to the absolute ends of the earth to save us, and He did. The miracle is the present, and the present is our priceless treasure.
This morning, I’m thanking God for all the children in my life. At
Do you believe what Jesus is saying to you today through His Word?
Grace and peace,
Deb Spaulding
Faith UMC -
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