“Oh Momma….come heerree,” my little man called from the back door in his sing-song voice. “I’ve got something to show yoouu.”

Sometimes these requests cause me to hold my breath, afraid there will be a finger dangling from its base or some disaster to clean up. But something in his voice this time sounded promising. So I stopped whatever I was doing and followed him to the back porch. You can imagine my surprise when I saw this:

A freshly blown off porch (blower provided by Daddy with a rent fee of $2), wiped down picnic table with a beautiful camellia blossom planted in a vase. All just for me! Just because he loves me!

I engulfed my little boy in my arms and said thank you with all the reciprocal love I could find. Then I sat down across from him on the bench seat and discussed the finer things in life according to a seven year old while soaking in the serene scene he created for us.

His act of love meant so much to me. My little boy loves me and wanted to demonstrate his love by doing something he knew I would love.

I see a little bit of Jesus through his act of love.

Like my little boy, Jesus loves me. And because He loves me, He wanted to do something to demonstrate his love for me. How did He do that? He died for me.

He didn’t die for me after I did some courageous act proving my worth to Him. He didn’t die for me after I cleaned my life up and surrendered to Him. He died for me while I was covered in sin and not sorry for it. He went to great extents to demonstrate His love for me when I was busy building my own life. He did more than blow off the porch and wipe down the table. He gave up His life in exchange for mine, all because He loves me.

And I saw a bigger glimpse into that love through my little boy. When our chat was over, I went inside and peered back out at the picnic table through my kitchen window. I wondered, How can I reciprocate that kind of love to you, Lord? If my little boy can warm my heart like He just did, how can I do that for You? How can I knock on Heaven’s door and say, “Jesus, come here, look at this…” and it be worth you coming to look at? Can I do something to show my love for you?

It seems when I want to prove or show my love for God, it ends up looking like Peter. For on the night Jesus was betrayed Peter declared he’d lay down his life for Jesus. He even cut off the ear of the guard who came to arrest Him. But hours afterward, he denied he even knew Jesus three times.

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Ever since that afternoon table talk with my son, my prayer has been, How can I prepare a table like that for you Lord, because I love you?

I don’t have an earth shattering answer. The only words I hear in reply are Follow me. Maybe my son’s demonstration of love comes from knowing He is loved by me. And maybe that’s where it all begins. Knowing we are loved.

I can never repay the Lord for the Gift He has given me. I can only live a life of thanksgiving and gratitude for His gift of life and share the Giver with those around me. I can love those around me in His name, knowing the love and anything good comes from Him and not me.

Living a life of love stems from knowing we are loved. Any blossoms that emerge as a result are created and nourished by the expert Gardner and aren’t anything we fabricate. Otherwise they look like fake flowers that have to be dusted rather than watered.

The Lord has given us each a unique fingerprint. There’s no one else in the world with my exact design. I wonder, if with that print I am to leave a mark on this world that no one else could leave. My son left a mark on my life with his beautifully prepared table. I desire to leave a print on someone else’s life…a print that demonstrates His great love for us!

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On one hand I wish I had life together and everything figured out. A clean house with a place for everything and everything in its place. But then I think, what fun would that be? It’s in life’s messes I watch my Creator make a masterpiece. He takes my spilled paint, torn fabric and frayed strings of life and weaves in His Redemption and Love and makes it something beautiful. His creativity inspires me to be creative. So watch your step! And thanks for joining me on this messy, creative adventure of life.