he's 10.
10's a big deal.
to God he's a big deal.
we walked over to his house after dinner to sing happy birthday, give him a gift, and to say, "we are so glad God made you."
he was delighted. his freckled face lit up as he grinned from ear to ear.
it was the only gift he'd received on his birthday.
he had share with us weeks earlier about his plans to indulge in his favorite, chocolate cake with chocolate frosting on his upcoming birthday. when i asked him if he'd had his birthday cake, he licked his lips at the thought of it, and said, "we don't have any cake."
"no cake!" i responded. "i know how you like chocolate cake with chocolate frosting." he smiled. "well, we need to see if we can find the chocolate cake fairy!" he looked at me puzzled. he was unaware that i have fairy connections, as i said, "we're going to look for that chocolate cake fairy, and get her to bring you your cake!"
chocolate cake fairies aren't hard to find when you are blessed by a family that doesn't mind getting scooped up into crazy ideas in order to love people out loud!
we walked in the door at 7:00 p.m., divided and conquered. i was thrilled to discover we had 1 chocolate cake mix box in the cupboard (we are not chocolate cake connoisseurs), and got to baking. michael and noah headed to the store for chocolate icing, ice cream, and candles. the girls got to work creating the "chocolate cake fairy!" by 8:00 p.m. we walked next door to make our delivery.
with 10 candles lit, we knocked on the door, and SURPRISED our neighbor with the "chocolate cake fairy," his very favorite dessert, and another round of happy birthday.
please join us in praying that he will KNOW that God has not forgotten him. that he will grow having confidence that his God sees him, knows him, wants him, and LOVES him. pray that this 10th birthday will be a reminder of that Truth, which comes from the greatest gift he could ever receive, Jesus.
finally head over to Deb's blog, Talk at the Table, and be encouraged to Do Silly.
14 comments:
I love this, Denise. God hand picked this boy to be your neighbor. Joining you in prayer and love it when you talk about the neighbor boy!!
Erin
Denise, I don't even think I have words right now...just tears. I think back to my 10 year old self and know that what you did made a lasting impact.
Your family is awesome.
No wait, make that COOL AWESOME :)
May the birthday boy KNOW that he is fully and unconditionally loved. May this birthday be a defining moment in his faith.
And may God continue to use you in his life.
You make my heart happy.
I'm glad I know you :)
I love your crazy ideas - they're the best. Makes me wish you lived in my neighborhood!
As for your little neighbor, I'm still praying for him.
this is why god made you. this little boy will remember you and your family for all the special things you do for him. on a day that he feels all alone and forgotten the smallest of blessing can brighten his day.
one day he will move away and you will think about him. knowing that you did what you could to make his life brighter.
I love that you and your family have taken this boy under your "wings". That you have made him important. As a child that wasn't always made to feel important, the people that did I have always remembered. When I remember them all they were all people who followed Christ and who shared His love with me. I think this is why it was easy for me to become a Christian.
I'm so thank you that you carry on that inheritance to this little boy. Trust and know that you will always be remembered and through you, Jesus will always be remembered.
You are such an inspiration Denise. The way you live Jesus-- it is good.
I don't have words to say how beautiful this was to read. I need to call you!!
Denise ~ you are so amazing.
I am who I am because of people who took the time to make me feel loved. People who were not my family or obliged to do so .They just did. Silly or just because , selfless and caring enough to just do what their beautiful hearts told them to at that moment.
Like you.
I learned more about God from people who just did love , just because,
than from anything else.
your daughter looks so precious.
as I'm certain she is.
tomorrow ~ I am going to do something just because. There should always be this hope.
Praising God (through my tears) that He placed this little boy in your life, and that you accepted the challenge to show him God's love. I will pray for this little guy...
that is sooooooo sweet...you make me want to be a better neighbor!
this brought tears to my eyes.
you are so good at loving people. i want to love people like you and loose myself in loving others.
you inspire me dear friend.
i know you and your family have shown him God's love by loving him. you have touched his life forever.
love you!
You are the coolest family that I have never met....but I want to. ;o)
You are fun, inspiring, and real. You are following the great commission, and teaching your kids how to be Jesus to those who need Him.
Loved your post Denise! Thank you for sharing this :) I love that sharing Jesus AND chocolate cake and birthdays can all go together!! There are so many ways to say JESUS LOVES YOU to someone :) Thank you for your thoughts over at my blog too :) Have such a beautiful weekend!
That just made me cry. I love good people. I love you. Thank you for making that boy's birthday special. Probably one he will literally remember his whole life long. What an amazing family you have.
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