Sitting in my office at home, my then-eight-year-old granddaughter Naomi walked in and pulled up a stool beside me. “What are you doing Poppa?” she asked. “I’m just writing my Monday Memo,” I replied. Then, the discussion began.
“I’m going to write a book,” Naomi said. “Oh! What would you write about?” I queried. “I’m going to write about being kind, being polite, being thankful, being honest, being happy, being friendly.” Her answer came so effortlessly and spontaneously I took that to be “a God moment.”
I set aside what I was doing and started to ask her what specifically she would say to children about each of the things she wanted to write about. Again, her answers just flowed – like water out of an artesian well!
Within four to five hours Naomi had written a complete book for children – even with her own introduction explaining why she wrote the book. It read: “I wrote this book to help children, to make people happy, and to remind you that God is always with you.” Signed: Naomi Pitts.
Poppa then wrote an introduction and closed it off with a brief gospel presentation. I talked about the bumble bee. Aerodynamically, bees are not supposed to be able to fly. Their bodies are too big, and their wings are too small to fly – so people say! But bees still fly! And why? Because God made them to fly so, they could get around from flower to flower to do the work He designed for them to do.
Many people say, in an unfriendly and hostile, dog-eat-dog world, you really can’t be honest, or happy, or thankful, or always be friendly. But God made us to be just that! And with His help we can rise above all the negative conditions of our environment to be kind, be honest, be thankful, be happy, etc, and show to a skeptical world the difference Jesus can make in one’s life when He is fully embraced as Saviour and Lord.
Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16 NIV)
As of today, over 75,000 copies of Naomi’s book have been printed in Spanish and distributed to children in over 350 public schools in Nicaragua and to other children throughout Latin America and Cuba. And who says you can’t fly?
God created you for a divine purpose. “Reject low living, sight-walking, small planning, casual praying, and limited giving – God has chosen you for greatness.” (Anne Graham Lotz) “We exist to exhibit God, to display his glory. We serve as canvases for his brush stroke, papers for his pen, soil for his seeds, glimpses of his image.” (Max Lucado) So, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.” (Isaiah 60:1)
Be blessed my friend.
Glen (Pitts)
The Barnabas Group / Loads of Love
