Poor Baby Jesus

By Susan Dollyhigh –

Baby Jesus, lying in the manger, tumbled around in a few loose strands of hay. Drew, my four-year-old grandson, turned the plastic ornament until the manger sat upright.

“Look, Nana, it’s Baby Jesus,” Drew said. “I made this at church.”

“Baby Jesus,” Drew’s two-year-old sister, Annalise, echoed.

“Oh, Drew, it’s beautiful!” I said.

“Sit down, Nana,” Drew said. “I’ll show you some more things I made.”

I sat down on the blue-carpeted floor beside Annalise. Drew pulled crinkled drawings, popsicle-stick figures, and other treasures from his box, showed them to us, and then piled them on the floor. Annalise held onto the plastic ornament, and each time Drew showed us something new, Annalise held the ornament up and said, “Baby Jesus.” He was clearly her favorite of Drew’s treasures.

When lunch time rolled around, I told Drew that we needed to clean up before going downstairs.

“We’ll help you, Drew,” I said. I handed Drew his papers and stick figures, but when I picked up the plastic ornament with Baby Jesus inside, I rolled it across the floor – and that was not acceptable, even to a two-year-old.

Annalise picked up the ornament, held it close to her little body, glared at me, and said, “Poor Baby Jesus.”

Feeling reprimanded by this two-year-old, I crawled over to Annalise, looked into the ornament, and said; “I’m sorry, Baby Jesus.”

My apology was intended to appease Annalise, but sitting there on my knees, I felt a true pang of sorrow in my heart. In a precious moment, my grandchildren had shared with me their love and awe of Baby Jesus. In my haste to clean up, I completely forgot about Him.

So many times during the Christmas season, I do the same. I set out the manger scene, and get caught up with decorating, shopping, and baking. And I toss poor Baby Jesus to the back of my mind.

This season, I want to hold this baby in my heart, just the way Annalise held Him in her hand. When I decorate my tree, I want to remember Baby Jesus. When I buy a gift for a loved one, I want to remember Baby Jesus. When I bake goodies for my family, I want to remember Baby Jesus. And when the Christmas season is over, and its time to clean up, I don’t want to toss Baby Jesus across the floor. I want to carry Him in my heart into the New Year.

“While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth
to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them” (Luke 2:6-7 NIV).

Prayer: Father in Heaven, thank You for reminding me through my grandchildren that this holiday season is all about Baby Jesus. In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

What Does Sin Cost?

By Susan Dollyhigh –

“What does a gallon of gas cost?” the pastor asked the little ones gathered around him for children’s church.

Little hands shot into the air. A brown-haired boy answered with great confidence, “Seventy-five dollars.” The congregation laughed softly.

A blond-haired lad called out, “Eighty dollars!” and as if in a bidding war, a freckle-faced little guy upped his answer to one hundred dollars.

Then a wise spectacled-boy calmly answered, “Three dollars a gallon.”

“Very good.” The pastor leaned back on the step he was sitting on. “Okay. How much does a shirt cost at Target?”

“Fifty dollars,” a little girl with pigtails said.

The blond-haired lad decided to try his answer of eighty dollars again.

The pastor declared that the price of shirts had gone up since he last shopped at Target. “Okay let me ask you this, what would happen if I didn’t pay my water bill?”

With wide eyes, little pigtail girl said, “You could go to jail.”

Wise spectacled-boy announced, “They will cut off your water.”

“Yes, I guess both of those things could happen,” the pastor said. “Okay here’s another one, what does sin cost?”

Without even raising her hand, a little brunette who’d remained silent whispered just loud enough to be heard, “Your life. Sin costs you your life.”

The pastor blinked in surprise. “That’s right. The Bible tells us that the cost of our sin is death, but the Bible also tells us that our bill has already been paid. Who do you think paid that bill?”

“Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!” the boys and girls shouted.

“Jesus paid the bill for everyone,” little pigtail girl said, then raising her chin, “even cats.”

“The Church is always one generation short of extinction, if our generation fails to guard the truth and entrust it to our children, then that will be the end!” Warren Wiersbe

This Thanksgiving season, I’m thankful for Jesus. I’m thankful that He paid the cost of my sin the day He died on the cross. I’m also thankful that the church seems safe from extinction for another generation. I pray these children will grow up and guard and entrust the truth to their children, ensuring the survival of the church of Christ.

Bible Verse: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23 NIV).

Prayer: Father, thank You for all your many blessings. Thank You for Jesus. Thank You for parents who guard and entrust the truth to their children. Amen.

The Invitation

By Susan Dollyhigh –

I learned so many new things in first grade. Good things like reading and writing. And some not so good things – like what it meant to live on the wrong side of the tracks.

One morning my classmate, Elizabeth*, asked our teacher if she could give out her birthday party invitations. One by one, each girl smiled as Elizabeth placed the invitation in her hand. I waited for mine, and when Elizabeth started to sit back down, I naively asked, “May I have one too?”

I carried the invitation home. And that was part of the problem. Home for me was a mobile home on the outskirts of town. Home for Elizabeth was a fancy brick house downtown.

I was the oldest of four children and money was more than tight. Yet knowing how important this party was to me, my mother bought Elizabeth a Barbie doll. I didn’t even own a Barbie doll.

The next morning, my feet practically floated up the steps and onto the school bus. Elizabeth’s gift was in my book satchel, and I couldn’t wait to get to school. But when I stepped off the school bus, Elizabeth ran over to me, lowered her head, and said, “My mother said you can’t come to my party.”

I didn’t know what to say, so I reached into my book satchel, pulled out the gift, and placed it in Elizabeth’s hand. Throughout the school day, I watched in silence as the other girls jumped up and down, and talked about going home with Elizabeth.

My heart ached as the girls climbed into Elizabeth’s car that afternoon. Hanging my head to hide the tears, I walked to the school bus.

But I soon received another invitation from Someone who didn’t care where I lived. The Holy Spirit spoke to my young heart during a worship service, and issued an invitation from Jesus. When I accepted His invitation, my heart filled with God’s love. Even though I didn’t always understand why God allowed bad things to happen in life, I knew, I could trust Jesus to never, ever take away His love, nor His invitation to be my Savior.

Trust Jesus with your heart, He will never take back His invitation.

Bible Verse: See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1 NIV).

Prayer: Father, thank You that we can trust You with our hearts, and that we never have to worry about You taking back Your invitation. Amen.

*Name changed

What’s in a Name?

By Susan Dollyhigh –  

Words sung by our hearts at times are like the lyrics from a 1980’s song that says we sometimes want to go where everybody knows our name. Those words are especially true when that place is Mount Airy, better known as Mayberry. Mount Airy is Andy Griffith’s hometown, and the setting for The Andy Griffith Show. A few years back another Mount Airy native, Ken Lowe, who is the founder of HGTV, returned home to Mount Airy for a visit. When interviewed, Ken told reporters he was glad to be back where he was called Kenny.

I totally related to Kenny’s feelings. When I moved back home to Mount Airy, after being away for sixteen years, it felt good to be back where everybody knew my name, and my heart warmed to be around people who know me as Susie.

Even though Susan is the name on my birth certificate, social security card, and driver’s license, I soon realized, at the heart of my being – I am Susie. I found that “Susie” cuts through the years, and reminds me of who’s important in my life. I share a special relationship with those who know me as Susie.

Even though the Bible tells us that God created the heavens and the earth, and everything that has life, including man, at the heart of His being – God is Father. I’ve found that “Father” cuts through all that life has brought my way, trying to separate me from Him. Even when I’ve forgotten about Him, or turned my back on Him, my Father has always welcomed me back with open arms. At a time in my life when I lost everything except my Father, I found He is truly all I need. He comforted me through many long, sleepless nights, provided for my every need, and healed my heart when I felt it was shattered and beyond repair. I share a special relationship with my Father.

Do you know God as your Father? He longs to have a special relationship with you. Our Father wants this world to be a place where everybody knows His name.

“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father…’” (Matthew 6:9 NIV).

Prayer: Our Father, thank You for being not only our Creator, Sustainer, and Deliverer, but also our Father who loves us, and knows us by our name. In Jesus name, Amen.

Unfathomable Love

By Susan Dollyhigh –

The call came from the emergency room after the crisis had passed with my three-year-old granddaughter. “Mom, Katelyn’s okay, but I just spent four hours in the ER with her,” my daughter said.

Even though Emily said Katelyn was okay, a wave of fear washed over me.

“It was awful, Mom. We were grocery shopping, and Katelyn was sitting in the cart with her baby dolls. I turned away from her for just a second.” Emily’s composure broke, and she sobbed, “She was trying to climb out of the cart and Mom, she fell… face first, onto the concrete floor.”

I closed my eyes, and the image of Katelyn’s fall flashed on the screen of my mind. I dropped my head into my hand, the horror of my own imagining too much to bear.

“The people who witnessed the accident were frightened; someone ran and got an ice pack, while others directed us to the nearest medical facility.” Emily’s family was vacationing at Carolina Beach.

“I was so scared, Mom,” Emily continued. “Katelyn’s head was bruised and bleeding. We took her to a walk-in facility, and they sent us straight to the hospital. I cried all the way there. I wanted to trade places with her, Mom. I wanted to take her place.”

I wanted to take my children’s place when they suffered injury, illness, or heartache. I would have gladly endured their pain in my body rather than helplessly watch them suffer.

I can’t imagine the agony God must have experienced as He watched His Son, Jesus, suffer on the cross. I don’t know how He endured the pain when Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Yet we’re told in The Message version of John 3:16, “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.”

God the Father in His boundless, immeasurable, unfathomable love for us, endured His Son’s suffering so that every one of us, even sinners like me, can be spend eternity in Heaven. Unfathomable.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NIV).

Prayer: Father, thank You for loving us so much that You gave Your one and only Son so that anyone who believes in Him can have eternal life. Thank You for Your unfathomable love. Amen

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