By Pastor Don Schatz

A Big Lesson from a Little Girl

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“The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.” 
Isaiah 11:6  New Revised Standard Version

My granddaughter recently had a clinic day with her care team.  Ten appointments with different members of the whole team.  And waiting in between.  She did not use those waiting times to fuss, fight or complain.  She used them to look at the large aquariums.  She used them to peek out the door of her room and check out what was happening “out there.”  She used them to play with toys supplied for pleasure and for distraction from the long day.  She has had three significant surgical procedures in her young life.  It has made her resilient.  It has made her tough.  It has made her a teacher, if one will but take the time to learn from her.

“Life isn’t easy.”  “Life is a graduate course.”  “Life isn’t for the faint of heart.”  How many other similar expressions can you recall?  Isaiah’s passage is a beautiful portrait of the promised Messiah.  More suited for last month you might be thinking.  But Messiah is not just for December.  He is not just for squishy feelings of nostalgia.  He is for real life.  All of real life.  Sometimes the wolf, the leopard, and the lion attack little girls in the form of physical issues they are born with that require intervention by a team of ten medical specialists.  For all the years of her life, so far.

A little child shall lead them.  A big lesson from a little girl.  She trusts her mom and dad.  She trusts the medical team.  As she grows and is able to reflect on these things, she will realize that her infant faith trusted her Lord.  She will understand and believe that Messiah’s promise surrounded and surrounds her.  Take it from my granddaughter.  We’ll learn the lesson together.

Copyright Family of Christ Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado