Simply Angie
After the last few weeks of digging into some pretty heavy “meat” from the Word, I’ll be honest with you: I’m a little worn out. It’s been a long, full week, and I was tempted to just skip writing. But, once again, I was reminded that sometimes the best thing we can do is take a deep breath and find a reason to smile. The Bible tells us that “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine” (Proverbs 17:22), and for me, the best pharmacy in the world is being around or watching babies and little children. Babies are such precious treasures. They always make my heart smile. Children are an amazing gift from the Lord. They have this incredible way of seeing the world that is so matter-of-fact, so dramatic, and so unintentionally funny that you can’t help but be cheered up. I had a “dose of medicine” this week from one of my first graders that I just had to share with you. We had just come off our two-week Easter break, and I asked one of my little girls how her holiday was. She looked at me with total gravity and said, “I was so sick that I almost died. I had cancer.” Now, if you’ve ever worked with six-year-olds, you know they don’t do “mild.” They go straight for the top-tier drama. I looked at her - perfectly healthy, devouring her lunch as we chatted - and tried to keep a straight face. “Oh my goodness!” I said. “Are you sure it was cancer?” “Oh, yes,” she insisted. “It was definitely cancer.” I asked her what kind of cancer it was or where it hurt. She told me, “Everywhere! My head, my neck, my whole body.” I suggested maybe it was the flu? Or even Covid? “No,” she said, completely unconvinced by my medical expertise. “It was definitely cancer.” Later that day, I saw her older brother and asked him, “Your sister told me she had quite a scare over the break! Did she really have cancer?” He rolled his eyes the way only a big brother can and said, “No. She just had a bug or something.” I couldn’t stop laughing inside. To her, that illness was a life-altering battle! She didn’t understand the gravity of the word she was using, but she knew it sounded big enough to match how she felt. I could certainly relate - I think I may have had the same bug two weekends ago (when I did skip writing!). It was awful and painful. Sometimes, in the thick of our own “long weeks” and tired seasons, we can get so weighed down by the seriousness of life. But then God puts a child in our path to remind us to smile. I’ve learned to deliberately find joy when life becomes overwhelming. Yes, the “joy of the LORD” is my strength, but He often provides that joy through the treasure of His littlest creations. If you’re feeling a bit worn out this weekend, I hope this little story gives you the same “medicine” it gave me. Let’s thank the Lord for the children in our lives - those little reminders not to take ourselves too seriously. I’m grateful for a God who gives us reasons to laugh even when we’re tired. I’ll be back next week as I hope to begin sharing some thoughts on 2 Peter, but for now, I’m off to get some rest! With a merry heart, P.S. If you need a little extra “medicine” this week, go find a baby or a toddler to watch for a few minutes… or even a simple video online. It’s hard to stay discouraged when you’re listening to a child laugh. Talk to you again soon. Can’t wait?
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