My Sweet Little Buddy

It’s been awhile since my last post, and quite honestly I thought that my next post would be a song I’ve been working on. But this is where God led me instead. Today’s post will be a story that I never thought I would tell, but I hope it can touch you like it has touched me and cause you to look for the little things in life that are God’s biggest blessings.

In my church, there are several little kids. I’ve spent some time with all of them, but there are two brothers especially that seem to always have my attention. (This has been going on for about a year or two.) After church, we will begin to clean up and then they will beg for me to take them downstairs on the elevator or give them airplane rides or play puppies with them—or something else! (And to be honest, it’s so interesting to actually focus on how interested kids are in the seemingly small things like that. Just an extra though I guess.)

Recently, the older boy has become really attached to my younger brother (Samuel), so I’ve been spending a lot of time with the younger boy (who is four, just in case you were wondering). This kid… oh my goodness… he is the sweetest. I mean, all the kids in the church (and in this family) are super sweet, but this little guy and I have a special relationship. I really can’t describe it, but I can say that this bond formed so slowly that I didn’t realize what was happening… until I didn’t see him.

I got really sick recently, and that kept me from going to church one week. That Sunday was a typical “sicko” Sunday in my house. We went about our normal weekday routines until around 11, when we picked a sermon from online and listened to it. All that to say, the day seemed pretty normal (or as normal as being sick can be). I thought about my little buddy but just figured he would play with Samuel and barely miss me.

Well. God likes surprises.

The next week at church, I went through the normal schedule. Sunday school… snacks and chatting… service… begin clean up… take the boxes down to the storage room…

And when I went downstairs, there was my little friend, playing with some other girls. I smiled and walked on by until I heard him yell, “Abigail!” I turned around and saw him running towards me with a big smile on his face.

“Can you pick me up?” he asked when he reached me.

I kind of just stared at him for a minute because he never wanted me to pick him up unless it was for airplane rides. (Just to be clear, that was OK in my mind!) But eventually, I smiled and picked him up.

Immediately, he wrapped his arms tightly around my neck and said, “I missed you!”

Have you ever had a moment in life where time just seems to freeze for a moment? I mean, you hear about those times in romance novels all the time, but has it ever happened to you in any setting? If it has, you know that you can’t properly describe the feeling or what happens in that time. And I know in this context it sounds super weird, but honestly, that’s what happened. My mind was reeling and I finally managed to stutter, “I missed you too, buddy.”

We talked a bit more after that (just small talk) before he wanted to run around a bit more. Eventually, I ended up back on the main floor, talking to this boy’s mom and a friend of mine. We were just casually chatting when I heard my name called out again. My little buddy was running towards me again, still smiling broadly. Once more, he asked me to pick him up (again, I was surprised), and I did. He hugged me again and said, “I love you.”

Just to be clear again, he’s 4. So it’s not like the “I love you” in the sense that a lot of people would think. To me, it’s a different love. A love covered in childish beauty and innocence. No strings attached. And at that moment, I realized what type of relationship I had with this boy. It was friendship where there’s such a strong bond of love that two people just become best friends without even knowing it. Truly, one of my best friends is 4 years old, and I am perfectly OK with that. God has used this little kid to touch my heart, to make me smile when I thought I never could, to patch up some broken parts in my life, and to change me. When I see this little boy, I want to be different. I don’t want to be sad. I want to live for Christ in a way that he will see and be inspired by. I want to love Christ, and I really want Christ’s love to shine through me as I love this little boy.

To finish the story which is very dear to my heart…

After that second hug, I told my little buddy with total certainty, “I love you, too.”

I walked out of church that day with a heart full of joy. I had recently been feeling down and alone, and God used this special little boy to pick me up again. Did I expect it? No. Did I appreciate it? Yes. And now, my little buddy and I spend all our time after church together—playing, talking, and just enjoying the amazing friendship that I, at least, never thought would we would have.

Look around you today, tomorrow, and for the rest of the weeks, months, and even years of your life. Even in the hardest times, what small things has God put in your life to pick you up, to change you, and to make you who you are? Rejoice in those things, and rejoice in the LORD who gives you them. Rejoice in the God who surprises His people.

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