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“All that really matters in the world is God’s Great Love.” cf
7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God, and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. … for God is love. 1 John 4:7-8b KJV
Suzie
In a different church, in another state, and in a long-ago time, an older woman stopped me before services began.
“Your children are growing so fast,” she commented.
“They’re not babies anymore, ” I laughingly complained.
She lowered her voice, “I’ll always have my baby.”
I looked at her, realization dawning.
Her youngest daughter was a grown woman, my age or several years older, who had forever the mind of a 4 or 5 year old.
I had never before even partially grasped the anguish of this woman before me.
How dare I complain that my children grew past certain stages rapidly, as they were doing, in good health and with strong minds.
After Church
After service, church friends all mingled and talked, as was our habit. I watched my friend’s daughter, Suzie, also making the rounds, as she did each week.
“What’s your name?” she asked our pastor. He told her his first name, as he did each week.
“Oh,” she said, “I didn’t know that.”
She continued this pattern with each member of our little church, never retaining their names.
She stopped in front of me.
“Hi Suzie,” I greeted her.
“What’s your name?” Suzie replied.
“Carol,” I said.
“I didn’t know that,” she said. “Now, I know. It’s Karen.”
I smiled. Close enough.
We had also gone through this before.
As I was leaving, our pastor motioned me aside.
“Suzie’s mom wants to put her in one of our youth Sunday School classes. Having her sit in the adult class isn’t really working too well. Her mom said Suzie wants Karen.” We locked eyes.
Two of my own youngest children were with me in that class that housed four through seven-year-olds.
Just the thought of adding Suzie to that group made my head spin.
“She’s got several years on me,” I hedged.
“And she’s four mentally,” he finished. “Have her color and listen and we’ll see how it goes.”
I smiled weakly.
The Class
The next Sunday, Suzie was in my Sunday School class. The kids handled it pretty well.
Suzie listened to the story I read, and colored furiously away on the picture sheets we handed out.
She asked my name. She called me Karen.
As the class was drawing to a close, she began the usual ritual, asking each child in the class their name.
We had our closing prayer.
I walked around the room, looking at the children’s work.
When I looked down at the picture this woman in her late thirties had colored outside the lines, my heart broke.
God’s Precious Gift
What happened next was a moment God gave as a precious gift to me and the children gathered there.
For God let Suzie teach us all that He lets His very special children know what is most important.
God’s Great Love dwells in the hearts of His children.
Of all the things that this world holds, God’s Great Love is the most important of all.
I looked at Suzie.
She grinned.
“What’s your name?” she asked me.
“Carol,” I said.
“I didn’t know that, Karen.”
Suddenly, a powerful love filled my heart for this child-woman.
I wanted desperately to share Jesus with her in a way she would grasp.
“Suzie,” I said, “do you know how very much God loves you?”
Then, MY world changed forever as immediately her head
snapped up and she looked me straight in the eyes.
She smiled a huge smile and
with great conviction said clearly,
“OH,I DO know THAT, Karen !!!
I DO know THAT !!!”
——-
I smiled back through my tears.
Suzie already knew, from the Father Himself, that greatest lesson of all.
“All that really matters in the world, is God’s Great Love.”