{A Selah
Sunday} BEDTIME STORIES
Oh goodness…I
have less than three hours to get this posted before it is officially Mundane
Monday {laundry day}!!
For those of
you who are young mommas, this may seem a bit silly, maybe even a bit
ridiculous considering we are at the end of Summer and you are running on
coffee, sugar and energy drinks… but reading bedtime stories to our babes was always a favorite for Scott and I. We were exhausted from full days, but clean
smelling babes, clean sheets and active little ones who would s l o w l y start to wind down {or
NOT!!!} was such a tender time.
It was the
last sliver of teaching and nurturing until early the next morning, or in our
case…until barefoot chubby feet touched the floor and quietly tiptoed down the
hall into our bedroom.
Oh how I miss
those years…even the teenagers rolling in right at curfew or a few minutes
thereafter, only to have them come sit on our bed and chat…or pray before
bed…cramming in a few teachable/nurturing moments.
Over the past
few weeks, I have had the opportunity to help my mother.in.love care for the
sweetest little four year old!! And yes,
it has been the bedtime routine. MY
FAVORITE!!!!
Once this
little one had been bathed, jammied-up, teeth brushed and hair brushed, it was
time for bedtime stories.
I let her
choose a few books, but on one of our last night’s together, I picked out the
book.
It is an old
1964 edition of Uncle Arthur’s Bedtime Stories.
It smells old, but the pictures are bright and cheery and boast stories
of an old era when life was simple and less complicated…but what I am drawn to
is the truths that are timeless.
I opened up
to a page and she was excited about the picture of a daddy hugging his little
boy so I decided that would be a good story to read since she already was drawn
to the endearing illustration.
It was
titled: “How Much Love”
A daddy had
been trying to find out how much his little boy really loved him. The little boy would answer him by saying
things like “heaps and heaps”, “lots and lots” and “bushels and bushels”.
The daddy
would always tease him saying that wasn’t enough until the little boy, Francis
would throw his arms around his daddy’s neck, hugging him and saying that THAT ought
to answer his question properly.
As time went
by, the daddy seemed to have forgotten the fun they were having as he began
reading. Francis called for him as he
wanted to show him something, but the daddy was too busy by now. Francis insisted that it was something VERY
special. Francis had an important
question. Finally, hesitant, the daddy
put down his book and asked the little boy what he wanted to show him.
Francis had a map of the United States spread out and was
trying to figure out how far they had driven the last year when they had
“driven all over”. The daddy replied “That BIG red one.”
Francis inquired as to how long it was. They discussed the mileage. Then Francis wanted to know about all of the
other lines…the other red lines and the black lines. Francis was still curious where all the lines
led to and how far they reached. In
desperation to answer his little boy’s questions he guessed that it may be over
thousands and thousands of miles…maybe even millions and millions and millions
of miles long!!
Francis answered, “Well then, Daddy, that’s how much I
love you. All that and even more!”
It dawned on the daddy that all that time, little Francis
had been trying to find a way of telling his Daddy exactly how much he loved
him!!
“As the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His
mercy toward them that fear Him. As far
as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from
us. Like a father pitieth his children,
so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him.
Psalm 103:11-13
As I closed the book before we prayed, she sat up with a
sparkle in her eye and stretched her little arms out as far as she could and
said, “I know how much Jesus loves me…HUMONGOUS!!!”
This little four-year old understood.
We prayed and I sang her to sleep and as she dozed off to
dreamland…I couldn’t help but thank God for giving me time to teach and nurture
this little one even if it was a few moments in the light of eternity.
So, even if you are at the end of your rope, exhausted
and weary from long summer days…I hope that you will enjoy the moments of
teaching and nurturing. And once you
have fallen into bed…and those little feet come wandering down the hallway into
your bedroom, thank God for the privilege of teaching your children the
"humongousness" of God’s love for them!!
Knowing full well that a pot of coffee, donuts and energy drinks are
mere hours away!
What Bedtime looked like 21 years ago!!!...
...and NO, it didn't work! :}
