Precious

"What does precious mean Mom?"

The words fell off her lips yesterday afternoon while I was picking up the boys from school. It was the middle of the afternoon, so I had a lot of things running through my mind - dinner preparation, small group that night, the meaning of life . . . you get the picture. Being distracted in thought, I started to answer her with the part of my brain that wasn't occupied.

"Let's see, it means valuable, treasured, costly - loved." Hearing those words stopped me dead in my tracks. The van may have still been moving - but my heart came to an abrupt halt.

The word "precious" was something I had been pondering for about 24 hours. Every thought of it made my heart leap. The fact that Makayla pulled it out of the blue, was incredible. I spoke nothing about my experience the day before - to her or to anyone. There was no way she could have known that it was on my heart. God once again, was using my little girl to get my attention. He wanted me to know - really know - the meaning of the word "precious".

The day before I was delightfully surprised by the affection of a friend. The word "precious" accompanied a simple embrace, sealing the conversation we had that afternoon. Knowing how she felt about me . . . well, it's hard to find words for that. I felt loved. Through our transparent exchange I realized that our partnership was something I considered just as valuable.

The word "precious" sent from God's heart to her mouth and from her mouth to my heart . . .

. . . and the amazing echos of it's significance coming from my sweet baby girl.