This. This letter right here.
You know, loving others how Jesus loves us isn’t hard. We just make it complicated.
I think of this 6-year-old who decided that what my baby girl needed was a pink unicorn, a green pom-pom, and a handwritten letter. I think of how big her heart was the moment she laid eyes on that unicorn and said to herself: I know exactly who needs that unicorn. Then she carefully wrote the letter with her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth, her brows furrowed as she drew the heart, and she stuffed it all in an envelope. For good measure, she added the coolest lime green pom-pom in the history of lime green pom-poms.
But the best part: she rummaged through the kitchen junk drawer until she found the post-it notes, stuck one on top, and wrote: “Jesus loves you.” This sweet girl knows this as truth and she’s able to love up my Emily because she, herself, is loved up with that Jesus love.
Before you get all jaded and sneer that it’s easy for a little kid to say that, you should know her world is turned upside down right now.
Her mom has breast cancer.
So when this girl marched over to her momma in their living room and announced, “I need to mail this,” I think of how big her momma’s heart was. I hope this mom was reassured at just how much she had done right. Because in a situation – cancer – which causes a lot of us to question the goodness of God, this 6-year-old doesn’t have time for any of that crap. She has letters to write and pink unicorns to give away and people to love, and she’s able to do that because that’s the kind of strength and innocence and simplicity this Jesus love is filling her up with.
My prayer today is to stop thinking about myself and my problems – about what it is I need or what I wish was different in my life – and go talk to Jesus for a bit. Go get filled up with his love.
Because, geez: I want what that 6-year-old has.
