Snuggley Bunny by rlcalamusa Not our daughter, but cute nonetheless!

Not too long ago we had a night like most others.  It was about 8:20 P.M. and I was hurrying around my home trying to get everything back in their proper places before getting my two girls to bed.  William had just come home from prayer night and the typical long bedtime routine was well under way.  All parents know what I mean.  You start bedtime thinking the process should only take 20 minutes and 40 minutes later you are blessed if you are turning off their light.  I think this nightly routine tests my love walk the most!  Moving forward with my story…my 5 year old was standing in the room alone looking at a little blue blanket her pre-K teacher had given to her.  Her teacher lovingly had given these little “blankets” to the students who seemed sad or missed their mommies during nap time.  As she stared at the blanket I saw a look of hurt on her face.  I asked her what was wrong.  Quickly and with much hurt in her voice she said “nothing Mommy!”  Then she handed me the little blanket and said, “I don’t want this anymore- can you get rid of it?  Give it to someone else!”  At this point, her eyes were filled with tears that began rolling down her cheeks.   My heart hurt for her.  I looked to her and asked her what was wrong.  I said, “does this make you miss your teacher?”  I motioned to her to climb up into my lap so I could hold her.  As she sat down she said “no Mommy- I just don’t want it anymore.”  Then she got up abruptly, ran over across the room and blurted out her hurt.  In great pain she said, “Mommy I lied to you- I took this blanket home without my teacher knowing.  I wasn’t supposed to!  I’m sorry- please forgive me!”  As she spoke tears began to stroll down my face.  My precious daughter had held this in for so long.  She did not understand that her teacher gave her the blanket and that she could take it home every night if she wanted.  It was a free gift.  Katie felt like she had made a big mistake and as a result no longer enjoyed something that brought her comfort.   She was trapped in her guilt and it tormented her.

I tell you this story because in that moment, God showed me another side of His amazing love.  As she confessed her sin to me— all I could feel was love and compassion for her.  Seeing her pain hurt my heart.  Her honesty to confess her sin made me so proud of her.  I looked my baby in the eyes and told her, “I forgive you”.  I let her know how proud I was of her honesty and then revealed to her the truth.  I reminded my daughter that her teacher had freely given her that blanket.  My little girl looked to me and said “really?”  You see we had told her about the free gift but because of her mistake, which we knew about, she could not receive the free gift.  In fact, she forgot about it!  In this moment, I realized the love of our Father.  The dynamics of sin.  What it does to us and the great release that comes when we listen to the Holy Spirit and confess to one another—“Therefore, confess your sins to one another [your false steps, your offenses], and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored. The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) can accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God—it is dynamic and can have tremendous power].” (James 5:16)  This was an amazing lesson of God’s amazing mercy, His love and forgiveness.  I saw today how my little girl could not receive her gift because of shame and guilt over a mistake she had made.  I love how God restored her last night and I am so proud to be her mother.  Our salvation is a gift to us.  We cannot earn it.  We receive it by faith in our God’s love for us to send His son Jesus to die for us.  Do not allow the mistakes in your life keep you from receiving the joy of your salvation.  God finds no fault in you.  Run to Him and allow Him to show you the great treasure He sees in you!