Recently my daughter-in-law, Heather, posted a cool video on facebook. It depicted a momentous event in the life of our 5 year old granddaughter, Sophie. She was reading!
I detected the excitement in Sophie’s voice as the markings on the page morphed into words and ideas that suddenly made sense.
“Zac sat on a can. The ants ran to the jam. Zac had a pan. Zac had a fan.”
The story danced to life before her very eyes!
Though not in the video itself, Sophie’s mom was evidently close by. When Sophie hesitated so she could think about a word, her confidence didn’t waver. “No no no, I got it!”, “I know, I know!”,”Just a second!”. She knew help was at hand if needed, but she also knew her mom believed in her.
Sophie knew she could do it, and she did. Admirably – in this grandma’s unbiased opinion!
Sophie’s mom, Heather, is a woman who loves to read and appreciates a good book. So am I. In fact, last year I made it an item on my “bucket list” to read at least another 1,000 books in my lifetime. And yes, I am actually keeping track. In the last 12 months I’ve read 87 books. At this rate I will be close to 75 years old by the time I reach my objective. There are many wonderful books out there to choose from. But the best one I’ve ever found is the Bible. It is truth, it is life-giving and life-changing, it is powerful. I wouldn’t trade it for all the other books in the world.
Soon Sophie will be like her mom and grandma – able to read all sorts of books, and even the Bible, on her own. My excitement for her is great – a whole new world of adventure and wisdom is opening up for her.
This little vignette of Sophie learning to read provides a wonderful picture of how God relates to His kids who are learning to navigate their way their through the story of life in this world.
At times I struggle to make sense out of the things going on around me. Relationships are often hard to read. Sometimes it seems impossible to decipher what is playing out on the page of today, let alone anticipate what tomorrow will bring. The end of the story is a mystery. Recognizing the signs, interpreting the clues, and putting it all together into an intelligible narrative is not for the fainthearted.
In living my daily life, I want to be like Sophie learning to read – willing to receive instruction, and then confident to forge ahead.
In my life so far I have had many teachers. The best one by far has been Jesus. He has taught me so much, and I have tons more to learn. I love the security of knowing that He is never far away. He is wise and patient. He encourages me, while challenging my capabilities. He is there in Spirit to guide me, whisper in my ear, and help me through the tough and confusing bits. He trusts me to ask for His help when I need it. He blesses me with the confidence to persevere and to push through to the end because He believes in me.
The Lord delights when I am not afraid or intimidated by what I see before me. Even when I have to stop to think – and pray – whether it be for a few minutes, several days or longer, it’s okay.
Because I am my Father’s daughter, He loves to hear me declare: “No no no, I got it!”, “I know, I know!”, “Wait a second!”.
So He waits. He smiles. Like the good Father he is, He delights in His child’s accomplishments. He knows I am learning from the best. And He’s always there when I need Him.
Learning to read with the Master is a joy.
