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Sep 27, 2019 2162 Teresa Ann Weider, USA
Evangelize

Just like a child

Growing Up

As a young girl of the age of 7, I loved to jump rope. My rope wasn’t a fancy one, but it was solid and that was all I had. Jumping made me feel light and free, for in that moment I would imagine gravity could let go of me and I might be able to fly. I could jump forward and backward, very fast or very slow, and twist the rope to make hoops to jump through. When there were deep 7 year old thoughts to think, I would just jump rope. Singing and talking to myself and God as I jumped, helped me to figure out my place in this world and helped me to sort through varying problems, worries or predicaments in my life.

Sometimes I was impatient with the pace of life growing up in rural Kentucky and jumping rope helped to reel away the time. That piece of rope with wooden handles helped navigate me through my childhood. One day, I needed that jump rope and I couldn’t find it. I searched all the usual places it could be, but it was gone. I asked my family members if they’d seen my jump rope and no one knew or seemed concerned of its whereabouts. I searched for days and felt hopelessly hopeless. How was I to deal with or figure out the important details of my life without my jump rope?

A very small and simple idea entered my mind. I stopped what I was doing, went to my bedroom and told God all about my situation. I told him how much I loved that jump rope and how much it meant to me. I cried when I told Him how I thought life would be like without it. I didn’t know what to do, for I was certain there would be no replacement one in my near future.

Specific Request

Then I asked Him if He would help me by finding it for me. I figured He knew everything and He would know where everything was anyway. However, I didn’t stop there. I prayed that when He found it, to please put it in a very specific place so I’d know where it was. Although, no time limit requests were asked of Him, I assumed it would only take Him a day to find it. My request was for Him to put it in my on my tricycle in the garage next to the Mom’s washing machine. My thought was that I would play with my tricycle the next day and I would see it, but if my Mom saw it first, when doing the laundry, the next morning, she would tell me. It was all very practical in my little mind. I thanked Him and went on to play something else.

The next day when it was playtime, I went into the garage looking for my jump rope, expecting God to have already found it for me. I went to my tricycle, but there was no jump rope. My heart sank for a moment, but turning my head a bit, I saw it laying in the little red wagon that was next to my bike. I had looked in that wagon over and over again for days, so I knew it was not there to begin with. I was so happy to be reunited with my jump rope, but a bit disappointed that God had not followed my instructions as to where to place it, when did He find it. I shrugged it off. Afterall, He was a boy, and boys don’t always listen very well, so that was close enough. Not fully absorbing what I’d just experienced, with childlike innocence I skipped off to happily jump rope again.

Expectations of a Child

A day later I mentioned to my Mom that I had found my jump rope. She told me she was glad of it, but she already knew. The morning before, she had gone into the garage to do laundry and saw it on my tricycle. She was afraid it would fall off, so she laid it into the wagon for me. She thought I was the one who had found it and placed it on the trike. Little bells and whistles began to
go off in my head. I was beginning to realize something extraordinary had happened the day before. I asked her to repeat EXACTLY where she had found it. For some reason, even as a little girl, I knew to test everything. Throughout the day I asked the rest of my family if perhaps they were the ones who had found my jump rope and placed it on my tricycle. None of them knew the importance and significance of their negative answers. With each no, my heart soared a little more. The story my mom retold was the prayer I had prayed. He had listened! God had not only listened, but He heard and helped me. I had a friend in heaven who heard and answered me! My life was never the same since then. God broke through the heavens to help me; a child with childlike innocence, childlike expectations and the faith of a mustard seed.

Many years have passed since I have jumped rope. I smile and cry each time I recall this story. I smile because as I have reflected on the significance of this event I know it was pivotal in learning to place my trust in God. Trust was the foundation of my relationship with Him. My relationship with Jesus made my faith grow. My relationship with God fills me with joy and childlike innocence again. I cry because when I humbly think about who God is and how He made time (then and throughout my life) to answer my little insignificant prayers, I am overwhelmed by His love for me. They too are tears of joy.

Be rest assured

Today, take a deep breath, and remember His words, “Be still and know that I AM God” (Psalm 46:10). Approach God as His child. Tell God the things you wish to jump forward into, the things that frighten you and make you jump backward. Tell Him about the things that make you feel rushed and the things that slow you down and try your patience. Tell Him about all the twists and turns of life that make you jump through hoops. He is right there with you, listening to every detail you share with Him. Offer Him your mustard seed faith. St Paul tells us in Philippians 4:6-7, “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus”. Rejoice because you have a friend in heaven who will hear and answer you too. How blessed we are to be children of God; to have as our Father, the great I Am!
God bless you all!

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Teresa Ann Weider

Teresa Ann Weider serves the Church remarkably through her active involvement in various ministries over the years. She lives with her family in Folsom, California, USA.

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