Reading Aloud With Littles Shows Love

***(Did you know February 5th is a special day?)***

“Mora, whet me wead you a story.”

My 3-year-old grand-girl Emory climbs onto the couch, and pats the space beside her. “Sit here, pwease.”

And I obey, because… well, what else would I do?

Opening the book, Em begins to “read” aloud.

“And da wady and da man were in da darden wif Dod.” She looks up at me. “Mora, were dey friends?”

I nod. “Yes, Emmy. Adam and Eve were friends with God. Best friends, in fact—just like you and Lila.”

Hearing her name, Emory’s 4-year-old sister perks up. “What? What did you say, Mora?”

“Emmy’s reading to me about Adam and Eve in the Garden, and she wondered if they were friends with God. I was explaining that they were—the best of friends, like you two.”

“Oh,” replies Lila, and she climbs up on the couch on my other side and leans her head against me. “What else?”

Taking Lila’s cue, Emory continues…

“Den da snake comes up and says to da wady, ‘You should eat dat apple tuz it’s dood and yummy for your tummy.” Emmy rubs her middle for emphasis…

And I laugh.

“But were Adam and Eve supposed to eat that apple?” I manage, then clear my throat. “What had God told them?”

Lila speaks up. “They weren’t supposed to eat fruit from that tree.”

Emory’s eyes grow round as saucers, and she looks up at me. “Why, Mora?”

Hmm, what to say?

“Well, God gave his friends everything they needed, but He didn’t make them obey. They could choose.” What else? “You see, Adam and Eve had all sorts of good food to pick from in the Garden—fruits and vegetables galore, more than you can imagine?”

“More than at the grocery store?” Lila inquires.

“Yep. Way more. The only tree they weren’t supposed to eat from was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.”

“The tree of what?” Lila’s face scrunches and I giggle.

“It’s a big name, I know. Basically, it was a tree God placed in the garden that had beautiful fruit, but eating its fruit was a no-no.”

“Like eating cookies in the cupboard when Daddy tells us no?” Lila licks her lips.

“Exactly.”

“Did da wady and da man sit in time-out?” Again, Emory’s eyes are round.

“Well, kind of. But the punishment was even bigger.”

How to explain?

“God had told them if they ate the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil they would know right from wrong instead of just walking with God and trusting Him as their best friend. And…”

Should I say it?

“And if they ate fruit from it, they would… die.”

“Die?” Emory’s brow furrows and she frowns. “Wike Mick?”

I knew what she meant.

She and Lila had recently witnessed our beloved horse, an old Missouri Fox Trotter, experience an emergency health issue and pass away. It was sad for us all, and we sat in the grass outside the barnyard and wept.

“Yes, Em. Like Mick.” I sniff. “They didn’t die right away though. It was many years later. But they did have to leave the Garden of Eden forever, and their friendship with God was different after that.”

“Dat’s sad.” Emory hangs her head.

“Yes, it is, dear. But we have a wonderful God who loves to give second chances. We call that grace.”

“Hey, that’s my middle name!” Lila’s smile spans her face.

“Indeed it is, Lila Grace.” I pat her leg. “And because of God’s great big, humongous love for us, He had a plan.” I then pat the Bible on Emory’s lap. “And this? This book is the story of God’s plan.”

“Weally?” Emory fans the Bible’s pages.

“Yep. The whole Bible is God’s story about making right what Adam and Eve did that was wrong. And what do we call the wrong things we do that hurt God’s heart?”

The sisters think a moment.

Suddenly Lila remembers and shouts, “Sin.”

“That’s right. It’s a little word but it holds great big meaning. And it would take a great big plan to take away all the sin in the world after Eve and Adam ate the fruit from that no-no tree.” I pause and look at one grand-girl, then the other. “The plan was a person. Do you know His name?” And in unison…

“Jesus!”

“Yes. Jesus. He died and rose again so our sin—all those naughty things we do—could be washed away. And now, we get to spend forever with Him one day.”

Emory flips to a well-worn page. “Dat Jesus on da tross?” Again, her face registers sadness.

“It is, dear. But turn a few more pages and see!”

Emory obeys.

Stopping at the page with a large stone, she points. “Dat?”

“Who is that?”

“An angel.” Lila shouts.

“Hey, I was donna say dat?” And Emory pouts.

“It’s okay. You’re both right. It’s the angel that spoke to the sad disciples and the women who came to check on Jesus’s body in the tomb. He said that Jesus wasn’t there but had—”

“Risen!”

This time both girls grin ear to ear with their answer.

“Yes. Jesus had risen. And one day we get to be with Him. He wants to live in our hearts and take away all our sin. All we have to do is ask.”

Emory sighs. “I wuv that story, Mora.”

“Me too, Em. Me too.”

Emory closes the Bible with a sigh. “And I wuv this book.” She lifts it and clutches it to her chest, then gives it a kiss.

“I wuv you, Bible.”

*******

As their Mora, I’m so thankful these girls are learning to love God’s Word—to read it aloud and hide it in their hearts at a young age.

More, I love spending time with them. Quality moments allow me to have these kinds of conversations when I can help them better understand God’s redemptive plan—His lavish love spread thick like peanut butter across the pages of His-story.

We read in numerous places in the Old Testament how God’s chosen leaders read His Word aloud to the people of Israel—reminding them so they’d not forget.

“Then [Moses] took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, ‘All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient’” (Exodus 24:7 ESV).

“… when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place that he will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing” (Deuteronomy 31:11 ESV).

“There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the sojourners who lived among them” (Joshua 8:35 ESV).

Did you hear that?

“… and the little ones.”

Yes, the little ones—littles like Lila Grace and Emory Wren and, in no time, 9-month-old Maci Lynn too. They’re precious to me, but they’re even more precious to their heavenly Father. He loves them, and I’ll do all I can to remind them of this truth.

Because we know. Life is hard. We’ll blink and, in ways I can’t comprehend, they’ll face temptations. But God!

Yes, but grace.

Challenge: Whether or not you have children or grands, you certainly know some littles. Prayerfully consider how you might spend time with one, snuggling up with God’s Good Book to read aloud in the coming days. 

And hey, February 5th is World Read Aloud Day, so what are you waiting for?

As Jesus said–

“Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14 ESV).

Let’s show the littles in our lives the love of their forever best friend…

Jesus!

Father, thank You for Your redemptive plan. Thank You for Your love. And thank You for allowing us the privilege of reading the greatest Love Story ever. Help us find littles with whom we can share Your message. We pray they’ll come to know You and love You too. And may it be so!