Sherry Hopkins

Community Columnist

It was Sunday evening and I had just finished an hour of practice with my GA girls. They will be part of our evening worship service this Sunday night, and I was wrangling them into what I hoped would be a smoothly flowing ministering program.

Our group began over a year ago and we have grown from 4 to 10.  We have also gotten large enough to break off into two different age groups, younger and older. It is a blessed time at Liberty Hill and God is working all through us and around us.

It is also an exciting time to see children participate in programs that will hopefully have a great spiritual impact on their lives.

I was a GA myself more than 50 years ago and can remember the impact it had on me.

I was tired from a long day at church and I was hoarse because I had corrected and encouraged in a louder-than-talking voice for over an hour. So I was a bit cranky. I tried to keep my crankiness well hidden.

But, we were all tired at this point. Most of my GA girls were also practicing for their Christmas program in the hour prior to our practice.

At the end of our designated time just before dismissing the girls I asked them to bow for closing prayer. One young girl who has been with our group from its inception quickly raised her hand. She had a prayer request.

Could we please pray for her dog?

The dog was in the midst, that evening, of giving birth and had already given birth to seven puppies and one had died. The child felt as though more puppies were to come and she wanted to be sure that God was aware and she wanted Him to protect her pet.

It struck me at that moment how small a child’s world really is.

In a time of hate, turmoil, anger, fighting, killing, bullying and casting our Great God aside; when our leaders are setting poor examples for three year old’s and when we are more divided that when may have ever been, this sweet child was overwhelmed with the most important thing in her young life, and that was the well being of her dog.

The point here is that at nine she possessed the knowledge and faith that God could intervene and protect her dog and it’s puppies. She was aware of the great power of a Holy and Omnipotent God. And she knew that prayer was the way to get the help she desired.

She wasn’t concerned with school the next day or getting possession of her phone back after church. She didn’t care what others thought about her petition. She spoke loudly, confidently and openly.

I have not had any more contact with her at this writing, so I do not know the outcome.

But, suffice it to say this young child taught me a quick unexpected lesson in priorities and faith.

I need to reflect further on this moment and realize that my faith is at times weaker than I would like for it to be. I also believe that one.s future behavior is often times a reflection of their past behavior and God has blessed me and us so greatly that I am ashamed to say that my faith is still weaker than I would like to admit.

If He has been faithful thus far why would He not be so in the future? So with that knowledge my faith should be stronger than it is.

So I hope to take this powerful lesson from this child and put my faith where my words are. I only need to ask my God and according to His perfect will it will be given. Matthew 7:7-8.

I hope you have a great faith base in your own life. It is not enough to know who God is. You must have a personal relationship with Him. It is the only way. John 3:16.

Stay tuned.

To contact Sherry you may reach her at 662.563.2525 or swhcsc@wildblue.net.