I've got this pineapple water bottle. The pineapple itself is yellow, with the lid and straw being green. It's really nothing special. I bought it from the dollar store when all the summer stuff started coming out. I think I was just so tired of winter and so eager for spring and summer, that once I saw it, I thought I could somehow will all of the snow to melt. At least that's what I pictured.
During this season of my life, I work part time at a preschool in the mornings. Welcoming the children's smiling, sometimes scared, faces warms my heart. To get to help them make good choices with their friends, congratulate them when they succeed, encourage them when they try, and comfort them when they are sad is truly a sacred place for me.
One little girl is autistic. She's my special friend, and is super smart and inquisitive. She explores most things with her mouth and feet. If she isn't climbing on it, she is attempting to taste it. Sometimes she even tastes while climbing.
It's tricky to connect with her, but I try to show her she can trust me-especially when she is emotionally regulated. That way, when she isn't, and I approach her, she knows my intention towards her is gentle and kind.
I brought my pineapple water bottle to school one morning. I hoped the kids would think it was fun. They did. Especially my special friend. In fact, she thought it was so special that she kept trying to put her lips around my straw and drink from it. She was relentless. No amount of redirection would distract her from the fun pineapple water bottle and her curiosity.
After a few of her attempts, I put it up high, thinking surely she would forget about it. Nope. I turned my back for a mere moment and she was climbing to reach it. It didn't matter that climbing was unsafe. She knew what she wanted and she was determined to chase after it.
In the Bible, Father God tells us to:
•"Guard our hearts above all else, for it is the wellspring of life." (Proverbs 4:23)
•"Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness." (Matthew 6:33)
•"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength." (Mark 12:30)
As much as I go to hang out with my little friends in the mornings to teach them, they are teaching me so much more. Especially my special friend:
•If I don't take the time to connect with her in the good times when she is emotionally regulated, when the hard times come, she wont trust me to be there for her. Similarly, if I don't determine to read from God's Word daily and talk to him through prayer in the easy/good times, when the hard times come, will I truly know that I can trust him to be there for me?
•She knows what she wants and goes after it with all she's got. Obstacles aren't a problem for her; she just observes how to tackle them and then does it. Likewise, if you know you want to have a relationship with God, don't let any obstacles become a problem. Stand back, discern how to tackle them, and then do it. I know it's not always that easy, but the point is to talk to God during the discerning and attempted tackling. You might not be able to successfully remove the obstacle, but you can grow closer to God in the process.
•She has child-like determination to take action, and chase after what she determines to. Will you determine with me to take action and chase after the Kingdom of God first? To chase after loving the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength? To let nothing stand in your way towards a deeper, more intimate relationship with your creator, Father God?
I'll close with a simple question:
Four birds are sitting on a wire and one decides to fly away. How many are left?
Four. Making a decision to fly away is not the same thing as taking action.
PS. My special friend did succeed. She got those lips tightly around my green straw and slurped with all her might. That was the one and only day my pineapple water bottle made an appearance at the preschool.
