I sat down at the church luncheon
for newcomers and introduced myself. I soon learned that everyone at this table
had enrolled their kids in the Rite of Christian Initiation for children.
“What grade are you in?” I asked
the boy next to me. When he answered, “4th”, I said that this was a
challenging year with lots to learn.
“Yes, he said soberly. “We are
working on our multiplication tables and double digit math.” I asked what he was learning in our church
religion classes.
“The Our Father,” he said.
“Have they taught you yet that God
loves you?” I asked.
My young friend thought about it
carefully before answering authentically and with complete innocence, “No.”
I was deeply affected by this
answer.
“Well, God loves you!” I said with
great feeling. “God loves you like no other person on the earth.”
The boy was looking at me like he
had never heard this before. And I could not tell if he believed me. I suddenly realized that all eight people at
the table were listening, too.
“Yeah!” I continued. “God was sitting
in heaven one day and he had this wonderful
idea. And it was you. A completely new idea— one he had never had before.”
I paused. “Do you know how nobody has the same
fingerprints?”
“Sure,” the boy answered.
“Well that is because we are all
unique, and God loves you as if you
were the only person in the world.”
As I reflect on our conversation
now, I think how often I forget how precious and loved I am by the One who
created me. And I bet other people forget it, too.
I think it would be really great if we could
remind each other of this fact now and then—and tell it to those people who never
heard this idea before.
