There’s an adorable little girl. Just picture her, blonde curly hair, wide blue eyes, smiling and ready for school, in a plaid pinafore dress, long white socks, shiny black shoes. She only comes up to your thigh in height. She’s literally, your little girl.
You’re walking her home from school, and stop in the newsagents on the way (if you live in Crookes, imagine it’s somewhere like Baxter’s, although disclaimer - other newsagents are available!) You’re buying a newspaper, like you do everyday, sometimes accompanied by bread, or milk, or a white envelope, or some stamps.
She looking around the shop and her eyes glance over at some bubblegum. Tacky and American – no, JDog didn’t just walk in – I’m talking about the bubblegum.
It’s full of E numbers and sugar, no good for her whatsoever. But she wants it.
You say no.
But she doesn’t understand. She grabs the bag and runs out of the shop.
The guy behind the counter panics.
“You’re gonna have to pay for that.”
She started running, gradually faster and faster, grasping the bubblegum with her hands the packet almost burst.
She’s getting glances from people in the street, other people taking their own kids to school, some even recognise her. They call her name, but she keeps running.
The running begins to slow as she loses her breath. Slowly but surely, she keeps walking.
Not before long, there’s no-one around. She rips open the bubblegum but it tears all down the side, each and every ball in each and every colour fall out of the bag and onto the pavement. Upset, she’s close to tears.
She got up, dusted herself off, and put every last piece of bubblegum back in the packed. She turned around – the first step was the hardest – but she began to walk. And by the time she’s halfway back, she’s running faster than she ever ran away, grasping the bag so tightly there’s no chance she’ll let the bubblegum drop back out.
Back at the shop, you stand there waiting outside. The girl bursts into tears, but you wipe away her tears, and put a finger on her lips, not letting her speak. You take her by the hand, take hold of the bubblegum, and go back into the shop. You put the bubblegum on the counter, with a pound coin next to it. You then go back to the stand where you got the bubblegum from and go for the bigger bag. You place another two pound coins on the counter, and walk her home, massive bag of bubblegum in one hand, and her delicate hand in another.
Sometimes, well, a LOT of the time, there are things in life that God wants for us, but they’re no good for us now, and we misuse them. Things like Sex, Music, Alcohol – there’s our way, and there’s God’s way. This is just my little way of saying, God’s way is always so. much. better. He’s our Daddy. He just wants the best for us.
And there’s nothing we can do that will make him love us any less, he’s always got his arms wide open, every time we stray away, waiting for us to come back home.
