The Good Fight

On Friday, Hope came out of school smiling from ear to ear. Later on, she told me, in passing that all the kids were fighting over her at school today. It was a moment planned by God, because I heard, realized this might be significant, stopped what I was doing, scooped her up and went to the couch to hear all about it. I wish I was always this attentive.

A: "What did you say?"

H: "All the kids were fighting over me at school today," she said with a smile. "They were saying, 'Hope, come sit by me. Wanna play with me, Hope? Sit by me at story time, okay?'

A: "Wow, Hopie. That must have made you feel pretty special."

H: "Yeah. They all like me lot."

A: "You know, I think they just see what daddy and I have known all along...that you are a super cool girl, and a nice friend, with a very sweet heart. You are so special."

Hope smiled real big and then scampered off to play. Later when she told her dad about it, we had another good talk about how great it made her feel and how she could think about making other kids feel really special, too.

Eternity really IS set in the hearts of men...and little girls (Ecl. 3:11). We all want, from a very young age, to believe that we are worth fighting over. And my giddy response to knowing how special my child felt in that moment was a good reminder that God desires for us to feel that way at all times. After all, he fought the ultimate battle for us in an effort to say, "See how much I love you...choose me...come sit by me." And then we get to feel the rush of pleasure that comes when you know you are loved.