Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Empty and Full (06/04/09)
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TITLE: Don't Eat the Dummedoes | Previous Challenge Entry
By Glenda Lagerstedt
06/08/09 -
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A frown creased Jaime’s brow. “Why you eat my dummedoes?”
“What?”
Why you eat my dummedoes?”
“Why did I eat your what?”
“Why you eat my dummedoes?” Who would believe a two year old could be so patient in a struggle to communicate with one so apparently clueless in the Language of Child.
As our chat sort of progressed, I followed her gaze to the open trash bag. Uh-oh. I saw where things were headed. The crumpled M&M’s bag gave me that ‘deer in the headlights’ sense.
“You mean your M&M’s?” Serious blue eyes gazed into mine as she gravely nodded her head. I rapidly pondered how I could get out of this without appearing utterly flawed. For lack of a viable alternative I went with truth, apology and restitution.
“Yeah, I did. I ate them. I’m sorry. I will get you another bag tomorrow, ok?”
My self wanted to rush in and vindicate, to stutter how the “just one more and that‘s it” theory can lead us astray in the presence of hunger pangs and opportunity. I wanted to say that it was only a small bag anyway and most of the candy had already been consumed. It even occurred briefly to me to mention that she would never have missed them had she not spied the evidence. (I also made a mental note not to procrastinate about taking the trash out in the future.)
“Hey, girl,” I wanted to inform her, “It isn’t as if you never eat any of my food.” Anything basically not nailed down, whether refrigerated, frozen, canned, shrink-wrapped or just laying about is fair game when she visits. Even to french-fries removed directly from my plate at mealtime. The list goes on.
But I gave myself a good talking-to. “Now Grammie!” I said to myself. “You already look a bit shabby here; don’t push it.”
At times God uses amusing events and small embarrassments to prompt us to think of deeper things. Dummedoes pale as I ponder how the world hungers and cries out for an infilling of His love. The words of a song that I recently jotted down come now to my mind:
Hungry I come to You
For I know You satisfy.
I am empty but I know
Your love does not run dry.
Yet another scribbled post-it note implores to be included:
Fill me now, fill me now,
Jesus, come fill me now.
Fill me with Your hallowed Presence,
Come, oh come, and fill me now.
In our anguished world, can our rallying cry be less? Not for ourselves alone but for a love that flows through to feed and nurture others. Not ours to judge but ours to be that vessel, first empty and then full, to overflow with God’s love for a broken humanity. For all the precious Jaime’s of the planet, whatever their names might be, whatever circumstance or age.
As for the dummedoes? Dad explains that is her current word for dominoes. Right or wrong, we figure she thinks that dominoes have circles and M&M’s are circles; therefore they equal the same thing.
She is at least working on ‘connecting the dots.’ I long for assurance that we adults prayerfully connect the dots before it is too late. “Come, oh come, and fill us now.”
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