Tonight, I saw beauty.

Several weeks ago, we purchased Luke a new Bible, as his former one was well-loved; having been read from cover to cover more times that I could ever count! This in and of itself was a delight for us....that our son is so fond of his Father's Word! But as he has grown, it became obvious that his toddler Bible, though wonderful, needed to be passed onto his little sister and Luke was in the market for something more age-appropriate. So, after several recommendations from others, we purchased him the Jesus Story Book Bible . We are so fond of it! Its format is so simple, yet portrays God's word in the most beautiful, vibrant kind of way! It is fantastic! And apparently Luke thinks so too, because since it fell into his hands, it is not uncommon for me to find him reclining on the couch or in his bed with it, thumbing through the pages and taking little sneak peaks at what story lies ahead of us that night. He loves it, and you'd be hard pressed to allow a night to go by without reading at-least one, but often two or three stories from its pages.

So...fast forwarding to tonight. Well...last night actually. As our story drew to a close last night, Luke flipped the page and somberly said "Tomorrow we will read about Jesus dying on the cross." Actually, we read about the Jesus washing the disciples feet, the Last Supper and how he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemene. But either way, I knew that the story of Jesus' death was sitting a little heavy on his heart. He has been asking lots of wonderful questions lately too. Mostly about Heaven and what it will be like, or about sin and what it all means. His little mind is working hard to make sense of all that he is learning and, in my opinion, he is doing a fantastic job so far! That child has some GREAT questions!

Anyhow...I'm digressing just a smidge. So tonight, as we read through the stories of the hours before Jesus was betrayed, Luke's eyes were fixed on the pictures in the book and he seemed to hang on every word I read. He was fascinated! But when I got to the part of Jesus' anguish in the Garden of Gethsemene on the night he was betrayed by Judas, I could tell that something shifted in Luke's little heart, and he nuzzled deep into my side and sighed a heavy sigh. I held him a little closer and a little tighter as I continued through the chapter, and as the story drew to a close, Luke abruptly turned onto his side facing away from me and threw the pillow over his head. Sensing that his heart was troubled, I coaxed him back into my arms and the poor, sweet child began to cry big, sad, heavy tears! "I don't want Jesus to have to die on the cross, Mama!" he sobbed. And in some strange way, my heart both broke in two and rejoiced all at once. For my precious child, in his tender heart, is beginning to comprehend the magnitude of Jesus' death!

Ty and I lingered in his room a long while with him tonight, answering his questions and explaining that, though Jesus' death was tremendously sad and awful, it was all part of God's perfectly-laid rescue plan, and the only way in which we can experience Heaven at the end of this life. That is was awful, but also wonderful, all at the same time! And moment by moment there in the dark, as we rubbed his back and spoke God's beautiful truths into his young heart, his anguish began to melt away. His face softened and the tears ceased. His body uncurled as he snuggled peacefully into his pillow. And I would have sworn a gentle smile brushed his lips. It was a perfect picture of peace! Closing his eyes, we watched as he began to drift off into sleep. And tonight, I'm not sure there is anything more beautiful than that!!

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Luke 18:16