“…and a little child shall lead them…” (Isaiah 11:6 ESV)
I’m not sure if you look at the TV channel that plays the old black and white movies, but if you do perhaps you have seen “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?” The movie is about a former child movie star that couldn’t make it an adult. Bette Davis is the star, the leading lady of this classic. Today title should not be confused with the movie. I’m writing about another child, a shining star in the eyes of the Lord, a little girl who has become the leading “lady” in today’s meditation. I will simply refer to her as “Baby J.”
Do you remember a few days ago when I wrote about the difficulty of finding a Bible at local retail stores; places that once carried a pretty good supply of various translations? Well in response to the story, Baby J’s grandmother sent me an email message that described how the two of them had gone to a large retail store and were looking for a children’s bible. Baby J is just a toddler, but she wanted a bible. Let me put it in your vernacular. Baby J had to have her some Word! Grandmother, let’s call her “Gigi,” because not many opt for “Grandma” these days. Gigi and Baby J cannot find a bible; validating and verifying what I had written about the difficulty that one faces in finding a new Bible at places we are accustom to shopping. But Baby J not only validates the lesson in “The Little Black Skirt,” but she gives us a new lesson. You see, instead of diverting her attention to the seemingly unending aisle of toys adjacent to the book aisle, Baby J says to her grandmother, “Gigi, we have to go to another store!” Baby J just had to have her some Word!
The lesson Baby J teaches us is found in her actions and adamant insistence about find the word of God. This child teaches us to emulate her desire for the word. Let’s do a quick check; similar to a mic check. Testing 1-2-3; have you already planned to find you some Word today? Testing 1-2-3; did you feel a necessity to get into the Bible today? Testing 1-2-3; was your sentiment like Baby J’s; set on satisfying your need to get some Word today? Did your “mic check” go well? If not, it’s not too late!
As Baby J grows us, she will be in her right mind because of the word of God? When people asks “What happened to Baby J?” the response will be that she saw the precious word of God as profitable in her life. I wonder, what will they say about you? I hope you are pondering at this particular moment and I pray you will agree with the proclamation of the Psalmist in the closing verse. Be blessed!
“Your teachings are worth more to me than thousands of pieces of gold and silver.” (Psalm 119:72 International Children’s Version)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King