I was recently tasked to help develop a program for an area school that involved the reading of a children's book. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane is a truly wonderful book. It details the fictional journey of a little china doll rabbit that starts out his life being in a very wealthy family. He is accustomed to being treated well by the little girl who owns him. His expensive clothing and stature in the family cause him to be indifferent to the needs of others. He thinks only of himself and his needs, not even caring much for the little girl who desperately loves him. His perspective on life dramatically gets refocused when, during a cross-oceanic voyage, he falls overboard and begins a worldly adventure. He is taken from family to family due to various circumstances. One family is an old couple, another are two poor children who live alone and have to fend for themselves, another is a wondering man and his dog. Through all these adventures, Edward discovers the bounty he had and how selfish he had been. Eventually he fully comes to understand that true love is what sets us free no matter what circumstances arise in life.I must admit, I was in tears by the end of the book. It got me thinking about the ways in which we take God for granted. What if there was no God? No one to listen to me when I hurt. No one that I could count on when the going got tough. No hope of ever having any more than this life has to offer.
How does the reality of God change the way I live my life? What impact does it have on the decisions I make? How can I show God my love and devotion just because I appreciate having God?
This week I hope you find news ways to thank God for what has been given to you in this life, the opportunity to have hope in someone grander that runs the world so we don't have to.
