A few weeks ago, we were sitting around the table at a family dinner, kids and grownups, chatting and laughing. We used our forks with no effort at all—all except the littlest one. For her, using a fork instead of fingers took all her powers of concentration. When there was a lull in the conversation, her dad said to me, “Did you see? She managed to get two beans onto her fork, and she got them almost to her mouth before they fell off.” He saw how hard she was trying. He was so proud of her. His eyes were shining.
What if, especially on the hard days when even the smallest step in the right direction is a struggle, God sees? What if, when I can’t even manage to get two beans to my mouth, he sees how hard I am trying? What if his eyes are shining, too?
“When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered. . . .” Matthew 9:36
“The rain to the wind said, / ‘You push and I’ll pelt.’ / They so smote the garden bed / That the flowers actually knelt / And lay lodged-though not dead. / I know how the flowers felt.” Robert Frost