ELI AND GOD'S GRACE
T. Wieland Allen
I never can remember the proper name for cousins, whether distant ones are second cousins or cousins once removed or whatever. So I just call all of them cousins.
Two year old Eli is the son of my great niece, so that would make him the second cousin of my children or maybe a cousin once removed. No, I think he's the second cousin once removed of my grandchildren. Whatever.
Eli is a handsome young boy, black hair, dark brown eyes, chestnut colored skin. He's a striking looking little guy with a big smile.
At a recent family Thanksgiving reunion the dessert table was overflowing with pies, cakes, cookies and candies of various kinds. Family members would come into our rented hospitality suite at the hotel to graze on the sweets regularly, helping themselves to whatever their taste buds demanded at that moment.
My sister and I were observing four small tykes as they played at the long banquet table in close proximity to the dessert table. Two five year old girls and a seven year old girl were having fun making creations out of the craft materials. Eli, the brother of the seven year old girl, was playing with stacking toys in the company of the little girls. He was lost in his own little world. We could almost see his brain imagining little boy thoughts as he quietly stacked various toys. Maybe he was thinking about the joy he will feel when his dad comes home from Iraq. Maybe he was reliving the events of the past as his dad fed him a bottle when he was a baby and changed his diapers and burped him and played with him. Eli had eloquently told me about those memories a few hours previous to playing with the stacking toys.
The three little girls were chattering away, oblivious to Eli and my sister and me. Not one of the girls even paused to listen to the other two chatter, chatter, chatter away.
Eli was lost in his memories or maybe his anticipation of events when his dad comes home from "killing the bad guys," which was his assessment of his dad's mission.
As my sister Mary and I stood observing the kids at play, suddenly Eli quietly got out of his chair, still lost in his thoughts, walked the few steps to the dessert table, and gently lifted the top off of some peppermint bark candy. He chose the right piece, then started toward his mouth with the candy. Suddenly he looked up from his mission and saw my sister Mary and me admiring him intently.
Guilt hit his mind like the insidious evil that it is. Eli had the guilty look on his face of, oh, no, I'm caught and I didn't ask permission.
The two year old guilt-ridden boy very gently put the piece of candy back in the container, slowly put the cover back on it. Then he looked again at us women as we watched his gentle moves.
I said, "Eli, you can have the piece of candy. It's okay." Mary uttered her permission.
Ever so slowly he reached back into the container and retrieved the same piece of candy.
Two year old boys don't move slowly very often, but Eli moved in slow motion on his little short legs which were clad in Oshkosh overalls. He walked at a snail's pace fifteen or twenty steps toward the door to the room. He had not consumed the candy, still holding it tightly in his little clinched fist. He suddenly slowly turned around facing us and mouthed these words which were hard to hear, "Thank you."
Then he turned and exited the room, walking in the direction of his Nana who was tending to his baby brother in the hall.
My sister and I wiped the tears from our eyes, remarking that the scene was the cutest, most endearing event we had observed in a long time.
Guilt had enveloped Eli so quickly as he was jolted back into reality from his little world of imagination, but when he got permission to partake of the candy his attitude quickly turned to gratitude, muttering the sweetest thank you I've ever heard.
The precious scene was a perfect reminder of the guilt that attacks everyone at times, making us feel less than the valued person that we are. When we turn to God and He gives us His approval and His loving attitude of grace, we are so grateful that we do the same thing that Eli did, we quietly thank God for His gifts of blessings.
We are praying for the speedy return of Eli's dad so that the supposed images of happy times in his mind will become reality. Every child deserves to have his parents in their lives adding joy and security to their foundations.
Heavenly Father, please send Eli's dad Geoff home safely, and send every other daddy and mom home who has been jerked out of the lives of their children by war. Give those parents the opportunity to observe Eli and other children in their most precious activities as well as giving the children the opportunities to build other cherished memories.
My sister Mary and I are so fortunate to have observed the gracious event. God must have arranged it.
Thank you, God, for Eli and his gentle soul and for warming our hearts as we observed the precious event. You are a good Father for sharing the event with us as Your heart of love was also warmed.
