Jesus Loves Me

 Last week as we hiked the trails on our camping trip, I heard Hannah gasp and turned around to see her hunched down over a tiny little whitish leaf, upside-down and hardly noticeable to me. The boys were forging ahead and I couldn't tell what she was looking at so I called, "Come on Hannah! There's nothing there, we have to get going and catch up!" But I was wrong. She picked up the little leaf like it was a precious treasure and whispered, "Mommy, it's a heart!"

 It stopped me immediately to see this sweet girl bent over a little leaf no one else had noticed, as we rushed forward to conquer a mountain.

We commented that there were no other red leaves to be seen, it was somewhat bizarre to see this little "heart-shaped" leaf laying all alone in the woods. I said "Hannah, that must be a love note to you from Jesus. He knew His little Hannah would stop and notice a little leaf like that and know that He loves you."

She answered, still in an awed whisper, "I know!"

 As we walked forward together with her treasure in hand I thought "Should I really be making such a big deal out of things like that? Would God really send a little red leaf to fall and catch Hannah's attention?" And then I thought, "Well, how I do know what He would or wouldn't do?" He answers our prayers daily. He provides for us.  He is the author of love. He made my little girl to be just the way she is... and to see just the way she does. And clearly sometimes my eyes are too much on conquering big mountains to see the little details of provision and the foundation He's given us to walk on.

Should we stop our important mountain-conquering quest to assume God would drop a leaf for us to see?

Maybe. Maybe this mountain was only a means to see the leaf. Maybe the leaf WAS the big deal.

 So why wouldn't He send a little heart fluttering down to a little girl who wasn't so busy conquering a mountain she'd take time to notice? He is so, so kind. So maybe He did, maybe He didn't, but there's not a doubt in my mind that's what kind of a God we serve. He knew she would notice, and that she would take the time to show it to other tired hikers, trying to conquer mountains.

And because Hannah took time to delight in the love of God, we all learned and enjoyed our time so much more, we remembered who made the mountain and took time to see and to stop and thank Him for His handiwork, and we conquered the mountain. 

This God is our God, and He will be our guide, even until the end.

Psalm 48:14