Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Dear God,

When you pointed to little children, I believe you wanted the human race to pause and think like a child about the wonderment of life. I learned a long time ago that children could lead us to you.

This evening my daughter suggested we have a spa night. That meant we would each get to put our feet in a spa foot bath and someone would wash, lotion, and massage our feet. Jill turned down the lights, lit the candles, put on quiet music, and then we began our spa time.

When it came to my turn, my three, five, and eleven-year-old grandchildren started arguing over who would do my feet because each one wanted to take care of them. Finally, my daughter suggested all of them do it; one would apply the soap and wash, one would rinse and dry, and another would lotion and massage. Three-year-old Rylan and five-year-old Lucy did step one and step two. As Rylan rubbed soap onto my ankles, shins, calf and knee cap, he leaned over to me and said, “Grandma, you can pray about something.” When they were done, eleven-year-old Gabrielle massaged my feet, lovingly stroking them until my feet were soft and refreshed.

But it was what happened next that truly touched my heart. Lucy came in with a piece of bread on a plate and suggested we kneel around the coffee table and pray. She asked if she could get some juice for us. That led us to a time of holy communion. Matt, Jill, Gabrielle, Lucy, Rylan, and I knelt at the table. I blessed the communion elements, prayed, and then served each one ending in prayer.

What was meant to be a fun evening washing feet and getting our feet washed turned into a time of holy service one to the other. Our focus shifted from personal fun to a beautiful time with you led by two little ones, ages three and five.

Gracious and Holy God,
you bless us
in surprising ways.
You lead us
to you
down unsuspecting paths.
You give us
cause to pause,
to reflect
and ponder
the wonders
of the relationship
between the human
and the divine,
between you
and the
rest of us.
Thank you
for intuitive children
who listen
to you
and lead us
to the holy.

Love, Andrea (aka Grandma Andrea)