Seven

Today. That's when Maddie turns SEVEN. In fact, in just a few short hours; 5:40a.m. to be exact.

She's sound asleep right now. I just peeked in on her and she's sleeping sideways in her bed, with numerous stuffed animals surrounding her. She's resting in a safe home; something we so often take for granted.

Her heart is SO big. Last night, on the way to a missions' meeting at church, Maddie said, "There was a boy from Ethiopia in my VBS class today. He's a long way from his country. He must be scared. Or sad. I want to ask him to be my friend tomorrow." {And then, through tears she went on to say...}

"But I'm scared to ask him. What if he doesn't want to be my friend? What if he laughs at me?"
We talked about how it is hard sometimes to ask people to be our friends but we can pray and ask God to help us to be brave. We talked about how the reality is that he would probably be very, very happy to have someone be his friend because he probably doesn't have many friends yet, if he just moved to America. We talked about the fact that sometimes God asks us to do hard things but when He asks us to do hard things, He also helps us to do those same hard things. I asked her if I could pray for her and again, through tears she said, "Yes, Mommy."

So I prayed ... and then again this morning ... and this is what she said when she got into the car after VBS:

"Mommy, I asked the boy from Ethiopia if he wanted to be my friend and he said YES. He said that only one other person had asked him to be his friend so I'm the second one to ask him to be his friend."

I reached back and squeezed her hand {and began to cry - shocking, I know} and told her that God had answered our prayers, yet again. That He was the one that gave her the courage to do something that was hard. That He is the one that is pleased that she did what He asked her to do.

And then she said this: "I just felt on my insides that I was supposed to ask him to be my friend."

So we talked about the fact that those 'inside feelings' were God asking her to do that. That when we decide to love Jesus and live for Jesus, that He gives us the Holy Spirit to live in us to help us each day to make right choices, choices that would please Him.

And so, one day before Miss Maddie turned SEVEN, I saw yet again the beautiful, caring, compassionate, loving little girl that we get to call ours. I'm most definitely sure that the angels in heaven let out a little hoop-tee-doo when Maddie turned to that sweet little boy and said, "Will you be my friend?"

As we finished our conversation I said, "So, what is his name?"

Rather matter-of-factly she stated, "I don't know, Mommy. It is very difficult to pronounce Ethiopian names, you know."

So there you have it.