She paid no attention to the children playing around her, but wandered instead to a quiet corner of the playroom where a box of dolls was kept. She knelt down on her knees and one by one, pulled doll after doll from the pile. They were dolls with cheerful smiles, bright colored dresses, the prettiest any little girl could hope to play with. Still she dug further into the pile until she reached the bottom.
The only thing left in the box was a pitiful looking baby doll. She was worn with age (1956 to be exact!) and her painted hair and face were fading. Her glass eyes a bit dusty, and her rubber fingers, toes, and nose looked as though they had long ago been chewed off by a dog. She had no clothing to speak of. She was very obviously the least desirable of the dolls, most likely an unwanted old toy given to the Church School by a member years before. The little girl picked up that worn out, faded, chewed up doll and held her close in her arms, the other toys forgotten.
"I will love you." She whispered. The little girl dug through a box of doll clothes until she found a dress that would fit, and slipped it over her. She found a blanket and wrapped the doll snugly in it, and sat down in a child sized rocking chair and began to softly hum the hymns she had learned in church.
From that day forward, whenever she entered the playroom she ignored everything else and went to the box of dolls and found that same worn out baby. One day she realized her "baby" needed a name. She gave much consideration to this matter. Names were important. Finally, she decided on just the perfect name, and whispered to the tiny baby, "I'll call you Elisabeth."
As the days and months passed the little girl's world became more and more uncertain. Yet one thing remained constant to her in the midst of all her circumstances: Elisabeth. She didn't fully understand what love was at the age of four, but she thought it might have something to do with what she heard at church; about a Man named Jesus who would forgive and save anyone who came to Him. He was a God who loved children too, just like the song she learned in Sunday School, "Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight, Jesus loves the children of the world." If that was love, didn't that mean she should love like that? Even the unlovely? Even the unlovable? The broken, cast aside ones? The less than perfect ones? Didn't that mean as broken and unwanted as Elisabeth had been, that she should love her? And so she tried, in the very best way a four year old could, to love Elisabeth.
One day she received news that caused silent tears to pour down her face. Her parents were separating. She was going to live with her grandparents. On top of it all, she had to leave behind Elisabeth because the school year was coming to a close. Having just passed her fifth birthday there was much about life she didn't understand, but of one thing she was certain. It often wasn't fair.
On the last day of school, just like all the days before, she found her quiet place in the playroom, wrapped Elisabeth in a blanket and hummed the hymns from church; the quiet, calming words, "Rescue the perishing, care for the dying. Jesus is merciful. Jesus will save." It was one of her very favorites. As the close of the school day neared she whispered in Elisabeth's ear, "I have to leave you. I can't come back anymore. But I'll always love you."
She placed Elisabeth in the box with the other dolls and went with the other children to wait for her grandmother to pick her up. She tried hard not to cry. She wasn't succeeding very well! She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see her teacher smiling at her.
"I have something for you." she told the little girl with excitement. She pulled her hands from behind her back to reveal...Elisabeth!
"We decided that she needed to go with you." the teacher explained upon seeing the confused little girl's expression.
The little girl eagerly reached out for her baby and held her close. "I never have to leave you! I'll love you forever!"
Years passed and that little girl became a Christian at the age of eleven. It had taken her a long time to realize that the same love Jesus had for everyone truly did include her. After becoming a Christian she understood what true love was for the first time; to be truly forgiven, accepted, and to belong. The years continued to pass and that little girl became a woman.
She learned what it was to love and be loved by her Saviour, and she remembered the lesson taught to her so long ago by a pitiful, chewed up, faded baby doll: to love the unlovable and unlovely. Sometimes she heard people joke that love was blind. Yet, wasn't that how love was supposed to be? The Bible did say, "...but love covereth all sins." (Proverbs 10:12b)
After all, isn't that how Jesus had loved her? She had been unlovely, scarred by sin, at the bottom of a miry pit. Yet Jesus had picked her up, cleaned her up, changed her life, and He had loved her. Unconditionally. He had done more than cover her sins; He had washed them all away, never to remember them again.
In fact, when she really stopped to think about it, she'd been a lot like Elisabeth. At the very bottom, faded and chewed up by sin. Yet Jesus had reached all the way down for her, picked her up, clothed her in righteousness, wrapped her in His arms promising to love her.
Sometimes a person finds themselves called to show love to an unloving spouse, or perhaps a parent is called to love a wayward child living in rebellion. Sometimes a person is called to love a hurtful, bitter parent. Sometimes we are called to love brothers and sisters in Christ even when they may not show kindness to us. Often we may find ourselves called to love those lost in sin, those who oppose Christianity, who may even oppose us on a personal level. But always, we are called to love.
By the way, in case you were wondering whatever happened to Elisabeth...she sits in a prominent place on my dresser to this day, still wearing that little blue dress. She's still chewed up with faded paint, but I happen to think she's beautiful. And though many of us have been scarred by sin and shame and have brokenness in our pasts, when God sees us, He sees the righteousness of Christ. He sees us as trophies of grace.
The only thing left in the box was a pitiful looking baby doll. She was worn with age (1956 to be exact!) and her painted hair and face were fading. Her glass eyes a bit dusty, and her rubber fingers, toes, and nose looked as though they had long ago been chewed off by a dog. She had no clothing to speak of. She was very obviously the least desirable of the dolls, most likely an unwanted old toy given to the Church School by a member years before. The little girl picked up that worn out, faded, chewed up doll and held her close in her arms, the other toys forgotten.
"I will love you." She whispered. The little girl dug through a box of doll clothes until she found a dress that would fit, and slipped it over her. She found a blanket and wrapped the doll snugly in it, and sat down in a child sized rocking chair and began to softly hum the hymns she had learned in church.
From that day forward, whenever she entered the playroom she ignored everything else and went to the box of dolls and found that same worn out baby. One day she realized her "baby" needed a name. She gave much consideration to this matter. Names were important. Finally, she decided on just the perfect name, and whispered to the tiny baby, "I'll call you Elisabeth."
As the days and months passed the little girl's world became more and more uncertain. Yet one thing remained constant to her in the midst of all her circumstances: Elisabeth. She didn't fully understand what love was at the age of four, but she thought it might have something to do with what she heard at church; about a Man named Jesus who would forgive and save anyone who came to Him. He was a God who loved children too, just like the song she learned in Sunday School, "Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight, Jesus loves the children of the world." If that was love, didn't that mean she should love like that? Even the unlovely? Even the unlovable? The broken, cast aside ones? The less than perfect ones? Didn't that mean as broken and unwanted as Elisabeth had been, that she should love her? And so she tried, in the very best way a four year old could, to love Elisabeth.
One day she received news that caused silent tears to pour down her face. Her parents were separating. She was going to live with her grandparents. On top of it all, she had to leave behind Elisabeth because the school year was coming to a close. Having just passed her fifth birthday there was much about life she didn't understand, but of one thing she was certain. It often wasn't fair.
On the last day of school, just like all the days before, she found her quiet place in the playroom, wrapped Elisabeth in a blanket and hummed the hymns from church; the quiet, calming words, "Rescue the perishing, care for the dying. Jesus is merciful. Jesus will save." It was one of her very favorites. As the close of the school day neared she whispered in Elisabeth's ear, "I have to leave you. I can't come back anymore. But I'll always love you."
She placed Elisabeth in the box with the other dolls and went with the other children to wait for her grandmother to pick her up. She tried hard not to cry. She wasn't succeeding very well! She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see her teacher smiling at her.
"I have something for you." she told the little girl with excitement. She pulled her hands from behind her back to reveal...Elisabeth!
"We decided that she needed to go with you." the teacher explained upon seeing the confused little girl's expression.
The little girl eagerly reached out for her baby and held her close. "I never have to leave you! I'll love you forever!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Years passed and that little girl became a Christian at the age of eleven. It had taken her a long time to realize that the same love Jesus had for everyone truly did include her. After becoming a Christian she understood what true love was for the first time; to be truly forgiven, accepted, and to belong. The years continued to pass and that little girl became a woman.
She learned what it was to love and be loved by her Saviour, and she remembered the lesson taught to her so long ago by a pitiful, chewed up, faded baby doll: to love the unlovable and unlovely. Sometimes she heard people joke that love was blind. Yet, wasn't that how love was supposed to be? The Bible did say, "...but love covereth all sins." (Proverbs 10:12b)
After all, isn't that how Jesus had loved her? She had been unlovely, scarred by sin, at the bottom of a miry pit. Yet Jesus had picked her up, cleaned her up, changed her life, and He had loved her. Unconditionally. He had done more than cover her sins; He had washed them all away, never to remember them again.
In fact, when she really stopped to think about it, she'd been a lot like Elisabeth. At the very bottom, faded and chewed up by sin. Yet Jesus had reached all the way down for her, picked her up, clothed her in righteousness, wrapped her in His arms promising to love her.
God loves this world and He's willing to reach down for anyone who will come to Him in repentance and faith. He loves and He calls on His children to love others as well. He calls us to a work of reconciliation by bringing the lost of this world to Him. He calls us to love our enemies. He calls us to love our brothers and sisters in Christ, even when that is difficult.He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD. ~Psalm 40:2,3
Sometimes a person finds themselves called to show love to an unloving spouse, or perhaps a parent is called to love a wayward child living in rebellion. Sometimes a person is called to love a hurtful, bitter parent. Sometimes we are called to love brothers and sisters in Christ even when they may not show kindness to us. Often we may find ourselves called to love those lost in sin, those who oppose Christianity, who may even oppose us on a personal level. But always, we are called to love.
God calls us to "rescue the perishing, care for the dying." Why? Because He is merciful and He will save. He loved sinful man so much that He died for each and every person that has ever or will ever live.Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. ~I John 4:7,8
By the way, in case you were wondering whatever happened to Elisabeth...she sits in a prominent place on my dresser to this day, still wearing that little blue dress. She's still chewed up with faded paint, but I happen to think she's beautiful. And though many of us have been scarred by sin and shame and have brokenness in our pasts, when God sees us, He sees the righteousness of Christ. He sees us as trophies of grace.
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1 comment:
Great post, thanks for sharing! Visiting from Faith-Focused Wives :) ~Blessings~
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