It is He

Nearly 30 years ago, my nine year old daughter, wrote a poem and gave it to me. I’ve kept it and periodically will bring it out to read. That little poem has brought me much comfort over the years. Sometimes it takes a child to remind us why Jesus died and that He loves us.

As children, my sisters and I were allowed to go to Sunday School and Church . . . . if someone would take us. A few doors down lived a Baptist Minister and his family. His kids were about our ages and we were friends. They would take us. So we were “bus kid” before there was officially a “Bus Ministry”. As is typical, in a couple of years, the minister was reassigned. Tragically, no one in that church cared enough about us to pick us up, so when I was 9 (interesting isn’t it) I stopped going to church.

Nearly 20 years later I was living in McAlester, OK. Wonder of wonders, on a Saturday morning another young Baptist Pastor, who had a vision for children, came by and asked to take my kids to Sunday School and Church. So my kids were officially “bus kids”. Several months later I started taking them and in the process I accepted Christ as my personal Savior. Now you can see why this little poem means so much to me.

It’s Jesus Christ

It is Jesus Christ
It is He
Who died for me.
It is He,
He is the one that died for you
And me He loves
You and He will always care
He loves me and you
Jesus Christ Our Lord.

By -------- (age 9)

It was soon after she wrote this that her mother took the kids away. For many years I had no contact with them, I didn’t know where they were a lot of the time and had no idea what their lives were like. I do know that at one point she walked to a church and was told not to come back until she had better clothes.
There were many years that I held Philippians 1: 6 close, “And I am sure that God, who began a good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again” (NLT).

I have to admit that I sometimes get frustrated with “The Church”. It seems to me that we focus on the unimportant details and ignore the eternal mission – “Souls”. God loves every child, every adult on every street in America and the world. We want them to change their cloths before we accept them – God accepts them as they are, then begins to change their hearts, minds, and yes sometimes even their clothes.

His admonition was to preach the “Good News” – that Jesus died for our sin. We won’t see any change in people until we show them the “Good News” of His love to man. HE heals, HE cleans and HE makes whole those who accept his sacrifice. Quit trying to change their shirt, show them His Love so their hearts can be changed.