My little one climbed precariously up the front steps which must have seemed larger than life to those chubby little legs. At times, my toddler used all fours to crawl to the top, never letting go of the love offering he gripped in his hand — wildflowers he and his daddy had picked for me.
At eight months pregnant I was great with child and short with patience. Twice that day frustration overflowed with my little guy — nothing bad, but nothing he deserved either. Irritability was the color of the day.
My husband arrived home in the early evening. He took one look at my face then looked at my son and said, “Hey big boy! Let’s go to the park, okay?”
Bless him.
[bctt tweet=”I am His little one and He is my Father. @NanJonesAuthor #GoodFather #ChildOfGod” username=”inspireafire”]
An hour to myself was just what I needed to rest, refresh, and renew. And now my little one was climbing/crawling up the steps with his gift of love. The flowers bounced along with each step, drug over concrete, occasionally smushed under a knee. He made it to the top and grinned. Then my little one handed me the most beautiful bouquet I’ve ever seen — broken, mangled, and infused with the fragrance of love.
He wrapped his arms around my knees and hugged me tight. “I sorry Mommy.”
My heart melted and tears flowed.
How often does the Lord receive our fragrant love offerings that come to him broken and mangled as we drag them behind us? Is there anything more precious to Him than a offering from His little one?
He doesn’t look at the gift.
He looks at the heart.
He looks at the heart and embraces us with His love.
I think of the times I’ve thrown a tantrum or expressed my disappointment to the Lord — in defiance, I might add. I remember His longsuffering with me as I learn to submit to His authority in my life. And then I remember that He is God and that He loves me in spite of myself.
That’s a good thing to remember, isn’t it?
And when I take time to remember, it’s easy to bring Him my offering of the heart. Even though it may be broken and mangled, the fragrance of my love blesses Him, for I am His little one and He is my Father.
And oh what a good, good Father He is!
[bctt tweet=”An Offering. Broken, Mangled, and Infused With the Fragrance of Love @NanJonesAuthor #ChildOfGod” username=”inspireafire”]