God's Little Ones

Her little hand reached out through a gate to me. Her other hand struggled with the latch on the gate as she earnestly tried to open it. Her brow furrowed in worry. There was one thing on her mind--one thing she wanted more than anything at that moment. Me.

In the spring and at the beginning of the summer, I would often go outside and play with this little girl. After being gone for a significant part of the summer, however, and not seeing her for about 3 months, she hadn't forgotten about me, like I had suspected. More than ever she wanted to play with me like we used to.

At the same time, I had to pack. I was leaving the next day to go on a week vacation, and I had plenty to do to get ready. For a split second, I was torn. I loved playing with this little girl but, I was only intending to go outside for a few minutes, and I knew it would turn into hours if I played with her. Yet I agreed to, giving her parents a chance to relax while I watched her for a bit.


Sometimes simply spending time with these little one's of God can make their day. You don't need to know what makes them laugh, you don't need to know their dislikes, you don't even need to know their interests. All you have to do is be willing to spend enough time with them to find out their likes, dislikes, and what makes them laugh. Matthew 19:14 says, "Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." All throughout the Bible, you can see the love God has for His little ones. What's so special about His little ones? If you take the time to find out, you discover that they can bless you more than you could ever possibly bless them with your time.

Kayla Joy

Silent Encouragement

"Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 
 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”
When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners." Matthew 26:36-45

Here Jesus was, clearly troubled, hurting, and so overcome with sorrow. Jesus knows what's coming. He takes some of His friends with Him while He goes to pray. Yet three times, His friends fail Him. Three times they fall asleep while Jesus is on His knees praying, His heart filled with anguish.

I don't know about you, but I don't want to be like Jesus' friends here. I want to be the one friend who would have stood by Jesus, not being able to fully comprehend the struggles He was about to face, yet still encouraging Him. And I don't always know how to encourage people like that. Sometimes I feel like I fail miserably when attempting that. When my friends are struggling, I listen to them, I pray with them, and I constantly pray for them, but often times, I don't have the right words of advice to offer them. Often times all I can do is be there for them, cry with them, and let them know that they're not alone. Recently, I've been realizing that you don't always have to have the right words to say to encourage them--sometimes it's more meaningful if you're right there alongside them, crying with them, praying with them, and showing them how much you care. After all--actions speak louder than words. 

Kayla Joy 

Leaving Worry, Taking Peace

"You're doing such a good job!" I exclaimed to my 6 year old cousin. We were creek walking and I been holding her hand, stopping her from slipping into the glistening creek. Just a few minutes prior, however, she let go of my hand--wanting to prove that she could do it on her own. "Be careful!" I called out, worried she was going to slip on a rock. She immediately asked, "Why?" I could have told her that she might twist--or even break--her ankle, that she might slip and land on her arm, that she might slip and land on her head, I could have gone on and on with the dangers of it, but, thinking fast, I simply replied, "Because I love you! I don't want you to get hurt." I thought this was subtle enough, I was sure she was thinking 'get hurt' meant along the lines of getting an owie. Instead, she surprised me, "But Kayla, if I die, I'll go to Heaven! I'll see Jesus!" Her childlike faith caught me by surprise, during which, as if to assure me, she quickly added, "But I'll be careful! I know you'd miss me if I went to Jesus."

I notice childlike faith in children when I least expect it. When all I'm able to do is worry, they decide to trust. They open my eyes and gently remind me, "It's okay. You don't need to worry. God is in control." Philippians 4: 6-7 says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." This Bible verse doesn't promise that God will grant every request you bring to Him. But it does promise that He will be there, that He will listen, and that He will give you peace. The next time you find yourself worrying--have childlike faith. Pray about your worries, your struggles, your concerns, then have peace and faith. Peace that God is in control, faith that God knows what's best. 


Kayla Joy

Praising through Everything

I stared out the car window, inhaling the scent of fresh air, feeling the cool breeze against my face. We came to a stoplight and I glanced down at the ground. Something on the cement caught my eye--hundreds of ants. The ants were running into each other, bumping into things, and frantically scrambling to find shelter before the rain started to come down even faster. I imagined them being calm just five minutes before the rain.

Sometimes, we’re like the little ants. When everything is going good in our life, we’re happy. The sun is shining down on us, and we’re completely oblivious to Who made the sun shine in the first place. But when the rain starts pouring and destroying our happy front, we’re desperate. We’re scrambling. We’re on our knees in prayer. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” What happened to praying when things are going well? What happened to praising God through the good and bad times?

Kayla Joy 

On the Job Prayer

I once had a little girl I was babysitting ask, "How do you become a good babysitter? How do you be nice when they're being mean to you?" I tried to explain that it's sort of a 'learn on the job' type thing. Sure, there are things you can do to become a safer babysitter--such as learn how to do CPR. But how are you patient when the person you're babysitting is, as she put it, is 'being mean to you'? For me, it's prayer. Seeing as how, without God, I couldn't even take a breath, then He can definitely grant me grace and patience where I need it. Whenever I feel my patience tempted during babysitting, I turn to prayer. There's always time for a quick prayer for patience or grace on how to handle something. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, "Pray continually." I definitely have a long way to go before I'm praying continually, but even praying during things like babysitting can make such a difference in how you handle things. 


Kayla Joy

Five Lifetimes Fly

When I was little, I remember being in tears when I first realized that my sister would have to go away to college. For some reason, it suddenly clicked, and I realized we wouldn't be young forever. We wouldn't always be with each other. My sister tried reassuring me, saying, "Kayla, that's five years from now!" And, surprisingly, it worked. "One year is a lifetime away, five years will be five lifetimes away!" I reasoned in my childish mind. But as it turns out--life passes a lot faster than you might think.

Honestly, it's scary how fast time passes. I remember when my biggest concern in life was whether I would be able to play outside that day or not. I even remember being proud of myself for remembering what the word 'fishy' meant. And, now, suddenly, I'm going to be an adult in three years. As things change constantly, it's hard to find comfort.

Matthew 28:20b says, "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” When time is rapidly flying past and things are changing, remember that, no matter what, God will be with you always, to the end of the age, to any age.


Kayla Joy

Blessings in Exchange

I've been trying to do random acts of kindness lately. I want to bless others with my random acts of kindness, but so far it hasn't just been blessing others.

Today, our neighbor was trying to mow with her two year old on her hip. Her husband wasn't home from work yet, and since she had no one else to watch her daughter, she had to mow with her. Obviously, this wasn't easy looking. I volunteered to watch her daughter in their fenced in backyard while she mowed the front yard. I had limited time to clean my room before some guests came, but I knew it was much more important for me to bless someone else than to have a perfectly clean room. The little girl instantly latched onto me, and I spent the next hour playing peek-a-boo, teaching how to blow dandelions, smelling flowers, and dancing with a two year old. Throughout the hour, I smiled more than I had all day and truly delighted in being in the presence of a little one of God's. I started off trying to bless someone, but God had a different plan. Instead, He decided to make me the person who was the most blessed. Random acts of kindness can definitely bless people, but I’ve found that it also blesses the person who does it.

Kayla Joy