the little girl with the bell who found Jesus

So let me describe the room, so you can get the full picture.

Church gathering hall, about 10 round tables with 8-10 women at each. And the Walking With Purpose Bible Study Coordinator at the front of the room, and next to her, a small child.

The child was one of the few in our childcare, and she was helping to ring the start bell and begin our opening prayer. In her sweet small voice, she lead us..."In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit..."

The Coordinator began to pray....

And as she did, the little girls face lit up, as if she was seeing something she could not believe.

As if she was discovering something for the very first time.

And she shouted out, "Look everybody! The cross of Jesus!!!!"

Because of the design on the floor.

It was all white, with the exception of green tiles, that made a giant cross in the center of the room. And the women whispered, "Oh yeah...look...it makes a cross...I never noticed."

This is our third year of Bible Study in this room.

How did we not notice?

And over the prayer, the small child shouted again.

"It's the cross of Jesus!!!"

And she jumped up and down in the purest of delight I have ever seen and she gladly proclaimed to us all, as she clapped her own two hands, "YAY! WE FOUND IT!"

The woman to my right started to cry, all the while wiping her tears and apologizing for her emotion while repeating to our group, "The Cross of Jesus! The Cross of Jesus!"

Another woman shook her head saying, "See? We need to become like children",

and I pushed my study guide away from myself and announced, "Well, ladies, we are all finished here."

Because I mean, really?

How do you top that?

And it gets you thinking, doesn't it?

When was the last time you saw the Cross of Jesus, jumped for joy, and shouted out to a room full of people, "YAY! WE FOUND IT!"

Better yet...when was the last time you even looked for the Cross of Jesus?

And yet...that is what made this moment so amazing.

She wasn't looking for it. But yet, she did seek it out. Because children live in the moment. They are so present to the here and now. And so seeking out Jesus is easy, because Jesus IS our here and now. If you seek, you will find. We grown ups make everything so complicated, and we demand signs and facts and we are just so full of ourselves and our own will that seeking out Jesus in the midst of our self created chaos is nearly impossible; seeking the Cross of Jesus does not always fit into our schedule. How often, God, do we stand right before You, and we do not notice? Forgive us, Father. Lord, have mercy.

And Thank you, God, for the children.

In all of their smallness, how much bigger their faith is than ours!

How much better their hearts are aligned to Your will.

And thank you, sweet little girl with the bell.

Because, yes....Yay...you found Him!

And because, yes, Yay...so we did too.