Mama, Can I go to Tokyo?

So here is the most interesting conversation I've had all day. . .Sam, whose curiosity is LIMITLESS, just asked me, out of the CLEAR, BLUE, SKY, "Mama, can I go to Tokyo?" (I think he saw something about Tokyo on Little Einsteins the other day).
"Sure buddy. Why do you want to go to Tokyo?"
"Because it's SO COOL. They have restaurants and wapawtments (*read: apartments) that are weally, weally, weally BIG! But the people day-er are weally, weally, weally little! Why do dey need BIG wapawtments when dey are so little, Mama?"
Before I could answer him, he says, "I KNOW!!!! It's because day-er Mommies and Daddies buy dem lots and lots of TOYS!!!!" *Brief pause for him to process his newfound information* "Mama, I weally fink we need to move to Tokyo. . .den you and Daddy can buy me toys to fill our BIG WAPAWTMENT!" Case Closed. . .The End. . .He walks away, and I am left to ponder his logic, once again!

Food for Thought

Sam's Prayer

"But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." ~Luke 18:16-17

I know, I know. . .two posts in one day. . .I'm sure there's a rule against that somewhere in blogdom, but I'm afraid that if I don't record this I might forget it. . .and I REALLY don't want to forget this!
I LOVE hearing Sam pray!!! Over the past few years, his prayers have evolved from simple (but sweet), sing-song prayers like "God Our Father," to prayers that are heartfelt and unscripted. Regardless of their form, there is something truly awesome (in the real sense of the word) about hearing him cast his cares and concerns, hopes and dreams at the feet of God Almighty. His innocence is often juxtaposed with a confidence that even I fail to possess as one who has been "casting my cares on the Lord" for a quarter of a century now.
Sometimes, while Sam is praying, he quotes pieces of scripture that he knows. To hear my precious son speak truth with such authority at only 4 years old often makes me a little weak at the knees. Other times, Sam just talks (and talks. . .and talks. . .and talks) to the Lord about nothing and everything at all. . .depends on which way the wind blows, I guess.
What amazes me to no end, however, is that my son "gets it." By that I mean that, at 4 years old, Sam KNOWS that he has the right to stand before the God of the Universe and tell Him whatever Sam feels like telling Him. So many times, especially over the course of the past year, Sam has stopped Robert and me in the middle of whatever we were doing and asked us to pray with/for him, because he either wanted something, needed to ask God a question, was troubled by something, or wanted to thank God for something. He BELIEVES so strongly in his little (but mighty) heart that God wants to hear from him, that he will stop EVERYTHING, no matter where he is or what is going on (oh yes, we've prayed in the bathroom of Wal-mart) to go before the Throne of Grace. The boy's got his priorities straight! AWESOME!
And I believe that, on some level, Sam's understanding of the Lord may be stronger than my own. Sam's faith is as pure as a sinful being can possess. He has yet to be tainted by the lies of this world. I believe, because of this purity, if you will, that the line of communication between Sam (and many other children, for that matter)and the Lord is much clearer on Sam's end than that of an adult whose line of communication with the Lord is often challenged by the static that comes from the various burdens that we take on throughout the course of our lives.
(DISCLAIMER: The story that follows ACTUALLY happened with ABSOLUTELY no prompting from yours truly. Let it be known that Robert and I have shielded Sam, to the VERY best of our abilities, from the events of the past 2 years. As far as he is concerned, he is an only child. He doesn't have the first clue about his 4 siblings in Heaven)
Every morning, after we've done our devotional, Sam and I pray for each other and for Robert. This is something that we have done for the past 2 years, and it is, without a doubt, my favorite part of the day! So it happened that this past Monday morning was no different from any other morning that we've shared. . .except that we saved our prayer time for our drive to Sam's preschool. Driving down Cole Rd., I told Sam that I was going to pray for him and, from his perch in the backseat, he said, "No Mama. I will pway fuh you fust. . .will dat be okay?"
"Of course, sweet heart. Go ahead. . .but remember, Mommy can't close her eyes when she's driving."
"Dat's okay, Mommy, Jesus knows. . . LOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRDDDDDD Jesus (I LOVE how he announces to the Heavenlies that he is entering the throne room). . .Thank you fo-wah today. . .Thank you fo-wah dis life. . .Pwease give Mommy strenf (he has obviously heard me ask the Lord to give me strength one time too many). . .And LOOOOOORRRRRRDDDD Jesus. . .I just wanna thank you fo-wah our babies. . .we can't wait to meet dem and teach dem about you. . . .Lord, pwease put life in Mommy's belly. . .thank you Lord. . .Amen."
Oh, YES HE DID. . .I about had a wreck at the intersection of Cole Rd. and Hwy 98. I promise as I am sitting here typing this that I have neither added, nor subtracted one word that came from his precious mouth. My Samuel. . .could he really be aptly named?!?
I'm not going to second guess this episode, nor will I pretend that this is the first time that Sam has shared with me that, "Jesus said He was going to give me a baby brudder AND a baby sister, Mommy." As previously stated, I just wanted to record this if, for no other reason, than to remind me years from now, that my Sam somehow read my heart, and in his own little way, he stood in the gap for me! I am truly blessed beyond measure!

"I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD." ~I Sam. 1:27-28

Water Walking

To begin, I would like to state that the child who lives in my house (a.k.a. Sam) rarely goes a day without unintentionally giving me glimpses of my Heavenly Father. Maybe this sounds strange to some of you reading this post, but I truly believe that one of the MANY reasons that God gave us Sam is to, daily, remind us of His love.
Case in point, when Sam was a little over 15 months old. . .BARELY walking (he didn't walk until he was about 14 months old. . .he was my "hip baby," and neither he nor I minded that one bit). . .he and I were making chalk drawings on Geegee and Ducky's driveway. To this day I'm still not certain what made him do it but, in a sudden burst of energy (he has many bursts of energy), he jumped up from his crouched position and ran to me. I promise you that, in my mind's eye, I saw what happened next about 2 seconds before it actually occurred. . .Sam took his eyes off of me as he was running to me, tripped over his navy blue Keds clad feet and, in Pete Rose fashion, slid on the concrete, skinning his little, chubby hands and knees in the process. It all seemed to happen in slow motion, and for a split second, it felt like the world was spinning. . .I KNEW that he was hurt, and I KNEW EXACTLY what that hurt felt like (not having been the most gracious child in all matters regarding the science of gravitation, I have MANY scars to validate my VAST knowledge of the ins and outs of scraped appendages).
The silence was broken by a blood curdling scream (Mommy's out there, you KNOW the one to which I am referring). . .I RAN to my son, scooped him up off of the ground and, holding him tightly to my chest assured him that everything would be okay, I was there, I would fix him, I was SO SORRY, and I KNEW that he was hurting. I will never forget the way that he looked at me as I was picking him up. . .the expression on his face, now marked by gigantic tears rolling down his cheeks, seemed to say, "Mama, I NEED you to make this better." It wasn't until, moments later, while I was cleaning him up, that I saw the situation the way that the Lord wanted me to see it. . .yes, my son had fallen and scraped himself. . .yes, he was hurt. . .but more than all these things, I think that the Lord wanted me to see that, I too, take my eyes off of Him. . .daily (I am ashamed to admit). . .sometimes for a brief second, other times for longer. . .the amount of time that I lose my focus is irrelevant, however. . .what is troublesome is that my gaze is averted elsewhere for whatever reason. When my eyes are not fixed on my Savior, I WILL FALL. . .just like Peter did when, in faith, he stepped out of the boat in the middle of the storm. He was fine there, walking on the choppy waters, because he was staring into the eyes of Jesus. . .He was walking towards the Savior. . .He was TRUSTING God the Son to protect him. But the moment that he took his eyes off of Jesus, and allowed himself to become more focused on his surroundings, the waters began to consume him. The good news is that, as always, Jesus was there to pull him to safety, but oh how much easier/less frightening Peter's experience on the water would have been if he had only stayed focused on Jesus.
Friends, I would love to pretend that my eyes are constantly fixed on the "author and perfector" of my faith (Heb. 12:2), and it brings me NO JOY that the Lord had to teach me this principle at the expense of my son. . .but I am, daily, provided the opportunity to "walk on water" with my Savior. . .sometimes the water is calm, sometimes the waves roll all around me, threatening to crash upon me at any time. . . but He has promised me, time and again, that when I am seeking to walk in His perfect will, He will protect me. . .His word says that, "no weapon forged against you will prevail (Isa. 54:17)," and that, " When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. (Isa. 43:2). Talk about BLESSED ASSURANCE. . .these are promises that I can BANK ON!
I don't know where you find yourself today. . .maybe finances are tight. . .maybe you are home with a sick child. . .maybe you feel like the world has you in a choke hold. . .wherever you may find yourself right now, my prayer is that your focus will stay fixed on Jesus. . .that you will trust Him first, today. . .that you will love Him far beyond anything that the world may lay at your feet today. I do not profess to be an authority, by any means, on God's plan for my life. . .I am exposed to His plan moment by moment, day by day, genuinely surprised (though, admittedly, not always delighted) with each new development, but each day is a new opportunity to be a water walker. Each day, I get to choose to walk on water, trusting my Savior to protect me and to guide me, or I can choose to focus on the world and its offerings which are temporary, at best, and poison for my soul. Today, tomorrow, and until I breathe my last, I want to be a water walker. . .I want to live fixed on His face!

That's My King!

Thus far, I've struggled with what to write in regards to my recent chronological milestone, and I've come up with nothing. Then, this morning, when I logged on to Facebook, a dear friend of mine had posted a video of Rev. S.M. Lockridge that our Equipping Pastor had played for us during this past Sunday's sermon. While I have seen this video countless times, I continue to be blessed by it. I shakes me to my core. . .it wells up the Spirit within me to such an extent that I want to shout HALLELUJAH at the top of my lungs. . .and I truly believe that is how I should feel EVERY day as I stand in the presence of my King!
As I begin my 30th year, it is my desire to proclaim, more loudly than ever, the truths and glories of my Savior. . .each day, I want to choose to serve Him more than I did the day before! (Josh. 24:15) When He has work to be done, I want to be the one who says, "Here I am. Send me!" (Isa. 6:8) No more hesitation. No more time out for rationalization. No more need for justification. He asks, I act. . .all because of who He is!
And who is He? I have often written the phrase, "because of who He is," but when it really comes down to it, I have difficulty quantifying that statement. It's not that I don't recognize (as much as my tiny mind can) the AWESOMENESS of my King, but "because of who He is," because He is ALL THINGS to ALL PEOPLE at ALL TIMES, it is nearly impossible to explain Him. This video of S.M. Lockridge's sermon comes as close to explaining my Heavenly Father as, I think, an earthly explanation can get, but what excites me the most is that I KNOW in my knower that it doesn't even scrape the surface of describing an indescribable God. . .the one TRUE God, and the God that I am humbled and honored to serve!

Turning 30!!!!

I'm not there juuuuuuuusssssssttttt yet. . .but 30 is creeping up on me quickly. . .I can feel it breathing down my 29+ year old neck, and by the time this weekend is over, it (30) will have won!!! I don't like to lose but, admittedly, this is a battle in which the winner has already been decided and, should I live to see Monday morning (God willing), I will not be able to claim victory. I am sure that I will have something interesting to post on Sunday regarding my 3rd decade on this planet, but for now, I'm savoring 29. . .pondering the blessings and the lessons that the Lord has allowed me, and thankful that He has carried me this far.
My good buddy, Kevin Harrison, sent me a cool YouTube video to help me keep my ever-approaching birthday in perspective, and I liked it so much I thought that I would post it on here. Enjoy!
Still 29!
~Tish

Interpretations of a 4-Year Old: Groundhog Day

I LOVE to laugh! There's something about laughing that makes me feel good from the inside, out. Thankfully, I co-habitate with a couple of clowns, so laughter is a regular occurence around Casa de Line (for the record, the everpresent possibility of laughter in our home, is probably one of my top 3 favorite things about the family that the Lord has created for me). Enter our most frequent source of humor: Sam.
Monday, at Sam's preschool, the kiddos learned about Groundhog Day. Sam's teacher read them a story about Groundhog Day. They looked at pictures of groundhogs. They created a cute Groundhog Day craft (I should post a picture of it) involving a popsicle stick, a paper groundhog cutout, and a styrofoam cup. By the end of the day, the children in Mrs. Lisa's 3-year old class were, to the best of their abilities, authorities on all things groundhog. . .sort of.
This morning, as Robert was leaving for work, Sam realized that he had not yet shown his Groundhog Day craft to his daddy. He ran into the mudroom, grabbed his newest creation, and began to show Robert how, using the popsicle stick that was attached to the paper groundhog, he could make the groundhog pop into and out of the hole* (*read: styrofoam cup). Robert showed much enthusiasm for our son's art project given that it was 6:15 a.m., and I said to Sam, "Sammy, why don't you tell Daddy what you learned about Groundhog Day while he is putting his shoes on."
Sam straightens his back, looks Robert dead in the eyes, and says, "Well, see here Daddy. . .if the groundhog sticks his head out of da hole and doesn't see his shadow, den summer's comin'. . .if da groundhog sticks his head out of da hole and he SEES his shadow, den dat's 6 mo-ah weeks of weekends."
I like his logic!

God of This City

Precious Friends,
I realize that so many of us are weary for so many different reasons. . .we each have our own crosses to bear (Luke 9:23). . .we each carry thorns in our flesh that we beg the Lord to remove (II Cor. 12:7-8). . .but the "tie that binds" us all together is the same AWESOME, AMAZING, God who, because of WHO HE IS (Ex. 3:14), loves us MIGHTILY (Deut. 7:9; John 3:16), WEEPS for us PASSIONATELY, and LONGS for us to RETURN to HIM (Jer. 24:7) with a YEARNING that, this side of Heaven, we will NEVER fully grasp!
There are days for all of us that seem to be NEVER ENDING!!! You know what I'm talking about! Days when the proverbial Murphy's Law seems to be hitching a ride in your back pocket and, no matter which way you turn, "Murphy" is still there to remind you of your inadequacies, your fears, your failures. Can I be perfectly honest with you??? I've been stalked by Murphy a lot here lately, and I've even let him trick me into believing that he has won, and I'll never be able to escape him. Then I remember that I do not serve Murphy's Law. . .I SERVE THE KING OF KINGS. . .and all of the burdens that I carry around in my special, ready-in-a-jiffy, pity party pack for 1, are to be cast at the feet of my Savior who asks me to do so. . .why?!?. . .because He LOVES me (1 Peter 5:7)! I think we can all relate.
Times are tough, that's for certain, but I love the perspective that my spiritual dad shares towards this end. . .He says, "It is important to remember in times like these that there have always been 'times like these'." Isn't that the truth?!? Daily, I look around this world that I'm passing through (which, to be honest, usually consists of the Hattiesburg Wal-Mart, Target, CornerMarket, Bucko's Cleaners, and the Heritage Preschool Carpool Line) and I see dispair. . .I hear bitterness and anger. . .I sense brokenness. . .and I'm not just referring to myself! =)
Why is it that we have lost our joy?!? Why are we so quick to offer an opinion, but when we find ourselves standing in the path of obvious wrong (fill-in-the-blank here. . .a child being mistreated, a customer treating a cashier with blatant disregard) we turn away and remind ourselves of the old adage, "out of sight, out of mind." We have become a "not my problem" society. It is easier to turn off the television when the hungry child flashes on our TV screen than it is to acknowledge the suffering of another and consciously choose to make a difference. But isn't that who we are called to be?!? Aren't we supposed to be difference makers?!? Jesus was.
Several weeks ago, many of us had the privilege of fellowshipping with Dr. Calvin Miller. During our time with him, he said something that has haunted me in the weeks that have followed. He referred to a visit he had made to a children's hospital, during which time, he passed by a room where a child sat, alone, in an oxygen tent. Dr. Miller quickly began thanking the Lord that He had blessed the Miller family with strong, healthy children whose greatest health problem to date had been an occasional stomach virus. If my memory serves me correctly (though that, in and of itself, is debateable), Dr. Miller told the Lord something to the effect of, "Lord, thank you that that child is not my child," to which the Lord QUICKLY reminded him that, in fact, because Dr. Miller had seen/acknowledged that child in the oxygen tent, the little boy WAS his child. . .Miller now had the responsibility of claiming that child as his own. (Deut. 10:18-19; Matt. 25:34-45)
This story has haunted me in the sense that, for the past few weeks I have had to accept a new level of responsibility that I had not previously known to exist. I am my brother's keeper. . .but not in the Cain and Abel sense of the phrase, obviously! I have, for many weeks, tried to explain to the Lord that, in light of all that the Line family is living through at the moment, I don't really have time to be my brother's keeper, at least not the way that the Lord has commanded. To date, He has not given me a "homework pass," per se, so I think that means that my responsibility to others is non-optional. =) So many of you, my sweet friends, also feel the burden of balancing the life that we live daily with the responsibilities of our calling in Jesus. . .to TRULY "love our neighbors as ourselves" (Matt. 22:39); to be "fishers of men" (Matt. 4:19); to step out of our comfort zones, be water-walkers(Matt. 14:30) so to speak, and take risks all because we hear the Lord calling to us over the crash of life's waves and the chaos of life's storms! The other day, while pulling into the garage from a "Line Family Outing," Sam, from his perch in the backseat of Robert's truck, announced, "Home, Sweet, Home. . .FINALLY!" How many times, a day, do our hearts SCREAM the same sentiment, out of a longing for a place that we've never been but, with everything in us, long to be?!? I often tell the Lord that everything would be so much better/easier if He would just bring me, "Home, Sweet, Home." But the Lord is alway quick to remind me that, to paraphrase Beth Moore, "The Lord allowed me to wake up today, so He must not be finished with me yet."
All of this rambling does have a point. . .I promise.
Even though we all have days where we beg the Lord to bring us HOME, He needs us here, for there is work yet to be done. Fellow Servants, forget the ominous national and international headlines, there is MUCH work yet to be done IN THIS CITY!!! But who am I, that the Lord would use me to make a difference in the life of another. . .for HIS glory. . .you may, rightly, ask yourself (I certainly do)?!? You are a COVENANT CHILD of the King of GLORY, GOD ALMIGHTY, a CO-HEIR to the THRONE of GRACE (Rom. 8:17). . .if that doesn't fire you up to go out and change our community for Jesus, I don't know what will!
Billy Graham once said, "Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened." Take a stand today, precious friends! Make a difference for Jesus in our city. . .the ripple effect, I believe, will be ASTRONOMICAL! And remember. . .we are not fighting alone. . .we are accompanied by each other, the efforts of those who have gone before us, and the strength of a GREAT and MIGHTY God, whose renown is worth far more than we will ever, in our flesh be able to give!
One last thing. . .if you've made it this far into reading this post, do me a favor. . .scroll down to the bottom of this page, turn off the music, then scroll back up and watch this video by Chris Tomlin. The song is called, "God of This City," and the video is AMAZING!
Love to you all, my fellow sojourners!
In His AWESOME Grip,
Tish

My Heart's Cry

I LOVE the God I serve! I LOVE how He cares so deeply for me that He would take time out of His schedule to reach His mighty hand down from Heaven, scoop me up, and hold me close to His heart. . .close enough to hear it beating. . .so that I may better understand who He is, how He loves me (John 3:16), and who He wants to be to me. It never ceases to amaze me that Almighty God, the Creator of the Universe, wants to be something TO ME!
My heart ACHES to stand before my Abba God and hear Him say, "Well done. . .my good and faithful servant." (Matt. 25:21) ACHES!!! I can't wait to stand before Him in the Heavenly throne room, my ears filled with the sound of angels singing, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty," (Isa. 6:3) The day is coming. I am one day closer to eternity in my Father's arms than I was yesterday. I pray that tomorrow (should I be granted tomorrow), I will do, think, and say in such a manner that, were my Adonai to call me home at the end of the day, my efforts would bring Him the honor and glory that He is due (I Tim. 1:17) and, in turn, He would do me the honor of calling me His faithful servant.

". . .whatever you did for one of the least of these. . ."

I am increasingly baffled by my son's reluctance to eat. Sometimes I think that his lack of concern for eating is based solely on the fact that he is a VERY ACTIVE 3.95 year old who would rather spend his time playing than sitting at the table consuming food necessary for survival so that he has the opportunity to play and be active; but I also think so much of his disdain for all things epicurean is rooted in the first 15 months of his life prior to our discovery that he is allergic to being alive (not really, but pretty close).

I distinctly remember Sam (maybe 11 months old), sitting in his highchair, night after night refusing to eat. He would turn his head away from the approaching spoon, make faces and blow "zerberts" at whatever "pick-up" food we would put on his tray, and ultimately, the "meal" would end in a fit of tears with very little food having been consumed, followed by either a visit to the porcelain goddess (if we made it in time) or an "all-nighter" because his tummy hurt so badly. Poor baby, his earliest memories of meal time are shrouded in pain and trauma!!!

Fast forward two and a half years. . .We have long since educated ourselves (and most everyone who comes into contact with Sam. . .God Bless You All) on Sam's various food allergies. . .we have made the necessary accomodations (i.e. disposing of roughly 80% of our previous pantry "collection;" purchasing various and sundry "allergy cookbooks" and ingredients which, by the way, are only pronouncable to natives of the farthest corners of India and the African Savanna. . .thank God for online grocery stores; changing our daily diet, etc.). . .we have fed our son food that is not only GOOD FOR HIM (imagine that in this fast food world), but it doesn't make him sick. Culinarily speaking, life has been better for Sam since we discovered his food allergies. . .Now if we could just get him to eat. . .

Not too terribly long ago, Sam had eaten a hearty 2 helpings (equivalent to 1 Adult sized portion) of whatever we had prepared for dinner (protein, vegetable/fruit, starch. . .we like to keep it simple), and he asked for dessert. Impressed with the effort that he had put forth during dinner, I quickly scurried over to the pantry to retrieve a "safe" cookie for him only to find that we were completely out of safe cookies. Realizing that I didn't have enough time before bedtime to "whip up" another batch of allergy friendly cookies, I turned to address my soon-to-be disappointed son.

"Baby," I began in my sweetest sing-song voice,"It appears that Mommy needs to make some more 'safe' cookies. . .we are all out for tonight. . .Now we have plenty of apples, grapes, bananas, and oranges. . .Would you like one of them?!?"

Ok, seriously?!? What kid in their right mind would be THRILLED to substitute a piece of YUMMY fruit over a cookie. . .safe or not?!? I knew that this might not end well, and to further confirm my fears, Robert was looking at me shaking his head. . .thanks, Babe!

"Well Mama," Sam says, sighing HEAVILY to illustrate his disgust with the situation (I have NO idea where he gets this from),"I guess I'll take a banana. . .if I have to."

VICTORY!!! We have a WINNER. . .and NO TEARS were shed!!!!! I turn to grab a banana off of the counter behind me, all the while thinking to myself, "He's not going to eat this whole banana. . .He NEVER eats a whole banana. . .He takes 2, maybe 3 bites, declares that he is finished, and I have to finish the banana for him. . .I am TOO full to finish the banana for him."

Nonetheless, the banana handoff goes off without a hitch! One. . .Two. . .Three. . .FOUR bites (wow, he really must be hungry). . .and then it happens. . .do I know my son, or what. . ."Mama, I'm finished with my banana." Robert, who is now in his "place of honor" on the couch, turns to look at me over his crossword puzzle.

Let me pause here to admit that, what follows is SO predictable AND could have easily been prevented had I not been so frustrated with the situation. . .I realize that, to most people, this would not have been a situation that warranted frustration, but, in my defense, I was mid-cycle of my In Vitro treatment. The medications that I was taking at this time were EXTREMELY mood altering, and EVERYTHING seemed like a BIG DEAL to me at the time! To make things worse, I KNEW that the reason that everything seemed like a big deal was because of the mood altering properties of the medication that I was on, but that didn't stop me from being certifiably CRAZY for 6 weeks. . .oh no. . .Jim Elliot once said, "Wherever you are, be all there," and I SURE WAS!!!

To continue. . .I look across the island at my beautiful son, who is now looking back at me holding a half-eaten banana in my general direction.

"Son."

"Yes, Mama?"

"Son, you told mama that you wanted to eat a banana. . . so I gave you a banana to eat."

"Yes, Mama. . .and I ate one, two, free, fou-wah bites, and now you can have da west."

"Son, that's your banana. Mama doesn't want your banana. Mama REALLY wants you to finish your banana." (N.B. Robert is still staring at us, but he is now beginning to chuckle.)

"Well. . .Mama. . .I just don't want any mo-wah."

*Earlier that day, Sam and I had seen a flier for Operation Christmas Child, a branch of Franklin Graham's Samaritan's Purse ministry. We had discussed how there were many children in the world who would not receive any gifts for Christmas, but that this nice man (Franklin Graham) had asked people to fill shoeboxes with gifts to send to these precious children so that they would have something to open on Christmas morning. We had talked about how Franklin Graham made sure that EVERY child who received a shoebox full of gifts would hear the good news of Jesus, God's greatest gift to man, and how wouldn't it be neat if the child(ren) who received our shoeboxes that we sent would come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior?!? Sam was really excited, and we spent the better part of the day talking about O.C.C. and praying for the child who would receive our box.*

With the discussion of the day still pretty fresh in my mind, I said the following. . ."Sam, remember those children that we talked about today? You know, the one's who don't have anything. . .who may not get anything for Christmas unless someone sends them something? Don't you think that they would LOVE to have your banana right now? I'll bet those children would be very thankful to eat your banana." Oh yes. . .I went there!

Robert is now belly laughing. . .I so set myself up. . .

Sam sits back in his chair and stares at me. . .then he looks at his banana. . .then he looks at me. "Well, Mama. . .see here. . .I have an idea. . .I don't want my banana no mo-wah, and those childwen would lub to have my banana, so how 'bout we give my banana to those childwen, and we can all be happy." My little diplomat. . .if only peace negotiations were so easy!

34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' " ~Matthew 25:34-40