Needing a night-light

I wanted to share a story I had written for my children when they were wee ones...

This is a story about the transforming power of God's love for us! With three children that God has entrusted into my care, our family has had its share of late night "sightings" of "dino, crocs and bugs" and a variety of other imaginary creatures! It is not unusual for children to have a fear of the dark. And any parent can attest to the vivid imaginations of our precious little ones! So, when it's lights out and things begin to go bump in the night, what kind of comfort and security can we give to our children? We can lead them to the Lord... and the refuge only He can provide! As our children come to know Jesus as their Saviour, Shepherd and Refuge, they will be filled with a spirit of peace, power and love that will last not only through the dark of the night, but for a lifetime. The Bible declares that Jesus is the light of the world. Is there any better night-light?

Molly and the Not So Magic Wand

Ching, chang. Ching, ching, chang. Chingity, chang, chang! Molly wrinkled her face and stuck her tongue out to the side, as she sh- sh- shook her piggy bank and sent those coins for a crazy ride.

Molly looked closely at the money as it clinked down to the floor. She could not tell which ones were less and which ones were more.

It did not matter though, she was sure she had enough!
Molly tucked them away in her pretty pink purse, along with all her other little girl stuff.

Off to the store, in a minivan with mother. Molly was good the entire trip. Not once did she fight with her brother.

As they cruised along, she imagined her wand while squeezing her eyes shut tight. It was shiny and full of glitter. Oh, it was quite a sight!

Click, clack. Click, click, clack. Clickity, clack, clack!

As she joyfully danced on down the aisle, Molly tapped out a happy sound. Searching high and searching low, Molly looked around and around.

There it was! It caught her eye! She stopped and stared and said, "Oh my."
"There must be many things this magic wand can do!" But Molly only needed one big wish to come true.

She wished to make all the scary things go away and disappear. Like the croc underneath her canopy bed, who often came too near!

Of course, there was the dinosaur, on the other side of the closet door. And the creepy, crawly, mega-bug that skittled across the floor and the rug.

Molly already knew the magic words to say as she waved her wand round and round and chased her worries away.

Molly peered around in the dark for the dino, the croc, and the bug. She held on tightly to her magic wand, as she peeked underneath the rug.

"Twinkle, twinkle, magic wand. Bippity, boppity, boo. I'm not afraid of the dark anymore. How about you?"
She looked and looked at her magic wand and soon began to cry. It wasn't working very well and she was not sure just why!

She was still very worried about the dino, the croc and the bug. Just then, in came mom and gave Molly a very big hug.

"Remember, Molly... God is always here. He knows our hearts, our minds, our thoughts and He knows each and everyone of our fears. Pray to Him, Molly. And you will feel Him near."

Molly folded her hands together and prayed from deep within her heart, "Dear Lord, please keep me safe and may we never, ever be apart. Let me know you are always near and that you can take away any fear."

Molly smiled a big, warm smile, as she hugged her mom good-night. She said one last prayer as she turned out all the lights.

"Twinkle, twinkle, the Lord is my light. No magic wand will do! I'm not afraid of the dark anymore, because I can come to You. You are my strength and courage, Lord. No magic words will do! I'll put my trust and faith evermore in the light of the world ~ that's You!"

Scripture Verses of Comfort, Light & Hope:

The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. Deuteronomy 33:27
Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and He will say: Here I am. Isaiah 58:9

The God who said, "Out of darkness the light shall shine!" is the same God who made the light shine in our hearts. 2 Corinthians 4:6

For the Spirit that God has given us does not make us timid; instead, His spirit fills us with power, love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7

I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears. Psalm 34:4

He tends His flock like a shepherd. He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart. Isaiah 40:11

Then the people brought their little children to Jesus so that He could put His hands on them and pray for them... Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me." Matthew 19:13-14

Do not be afraid ~ I am with you! I am your God, let nothing terrify you. I will make you strong and help you; I will protect you and save you. Isaiah 41:10

The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1

Jesus said to the people, "I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won't be stumbling through the darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life." John 8:12

So... even though I wrote the story for my kids... I kinda could relate to Molly, too (guess you probably already figured that part out)! Since becoming a wife and mom, I have struggled over the years with fear and worry. Doctors called it post-partum depression & anxiety. I just call it plain awful. Dinos, crocs & bugs... not so much. But lots of other fears, real and imagined have lurked and loomed. It is then that I have to remember to shape those worries into prayers. It is when I run to the Lord and let His light shine on my fears that they simply disappear.

Bloom & Grow

Rose was an ordinary girl with an extraordinary wish. She wanted to bloom! And when it happened, she wanted it to be spectacular.

Rose was not a flower. She was just a child named after one. With a name like Rose and a nickname like Blossom, how could she think about anything other than blooming? She thought these flowery thoughts everyday, but especially during the springtime!

But she had not yet blossomed. She had not yet bloomed. Go figure! Rose Blossom was a late bloomer! How could this be? Everyone in Rose's family tree had blossomed at an early age.

Rose's mom was a writer. She wrote funny stories, sad stories, believable stories and it-could-never-happen-in-a-million years kind of stories.

Dad was a handy man. He hammered, he sawed, he cut and he carved. A piece of wood would transform into something grand in his hands.

Rose's big brother, Josh, was a top-notch, first-place, trophy-winning athlete of the year.

Grace, her big sis, tapped, twirled and plied her way through each and every day.

Even her younger sis, Zoey, had already bloomed. With flour in her hair and a wide, gappy grin, she baked a blue-ribbon, county-fair winning, not-too-tart tart!

Her cousin was a painter. Her poppa played trombone. Grandma was a singer and was never out of tune.

Rose was ever so happy for her very talented kin. However, she could not help but wonder and ask God when it would be her turn to go out into the world and bloom.

Rose thought about faraway places that might provide a perfect spot to plant her self and bloom.

As her thoughts multiplied and grew, they became large enough to include trains, planes, motorcycles and canoes... palm trees, mountain tops, canyons and a bayou.

She was certain if her parents bought her a ticket, she could find the right spot.

Rose's family disagreed. "Rose," they repeated again and again, "You will have to bloom where God has planted you. Your talent will have to be home-grown!"

Rose could not wait any longer... She was ready! She was set! She wanted to bloom now, not later! After all, it was her birthday and she was certain it was time!

Her family showered her with hugs and kisses and we-know-you-will-bloom-soon wishes.

Through a flurry of gift wrap, Rose uncovered a shovel, a spade, a watering can and a packet of seeds. She looked pleased, but slightly confused.

Rose blurted, "You know how I adore the garden! But how will this help me to bloom?

"I think you have a green-thumb," her mom encouraged and hinted.

Rose still did not understand what this had to do with her desire to bloom. But she decided to weed out all of her worries and doubts as she dug and planted her seeds. As she sowed, Rose shared her budding thoughts and her heart with God... and her faith grew.

As promised, Rose did blossom. And she bloomed. Except, she did not notice yet!

Rose shouted, "Bravo" at her sister's dance recital, as she threw a home-grown bouquet.

To an under-the-weather friend, she delivered a bundle of flowers wrapped in a smile.

Rose arranged a vase full of sweet-smelling inspiration for her cousin to paint.

And an armful of daisies were picked for mom, just to say "I love you."

Often, Rose pulled a wagon filled with vegetables to the soup kitchen in town.

Many pumpkins from Rose's patch smiled brightly at the Autumn Harvest Fair.

As Rose Blossom shared her fruitful bounty with her little sis, it amazingly and deliciously transformed into souffles, pies and soups extraordinaire!

Finally, it dawned on Rose. She HAD blossomed. She HAD bloomed! Not only did she have a very green thumb, she had a happy heart!

These newly discovered talents and gifts were not only hers, but hers to give to others. Rooted in faith, Rose's kindness and generosity grew as readily as her flowers, fruits and vegetables.

And Rose blossomed, indeed. Season after season, year after year, she continued to bloom and grow, bloom and grow... daily growing in grace.

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As I wrote this children's story, I knew Rose's heart because it is my heart, too! For quite some time I have struggled with my faith and with where God has planted me. I now understand that God has called me...to be my husband's helpmeet, to be a homeschooling mom, and to be the keeper of my home. He created me wonderfully... to be a writer and an encourager, a question-asker and a truth-seeker, a planter and a nurturer. I admit I was a late bloomer, but I finally decided to grow where God has planted me!

If I'm not careful, I allow the weeds of the world to crop up in my garden and threaten my growth. During those times I feel more like a wall flower rather than a beautiful bouquet! I feel like I am wilting instead of flourishing! And then I abide in the vine... in my Saviour. That is when I bear fruit. That is when I bloom & grow. I desire to be a sweet-smelling fragrance to my Lord. May I plant seeds of encouragement and hope as I seek Him and share with you!