No Prayer Is Too Small

The children & I participate in a program called Parents as Teachers. A "Parent Educator" comes to my house once a month and leads my children and I in an activity. She & I then discuss what skills are being developed by the activity. She always leaves handouts with more ideas for activities I can do with the children to further encourage their development.

This program is run by our local public school system. I'm not a big fan of our local public schools. Frankly, their product, which I see walking down my street every day, scares me. So I felt a little nervous last year when we joined this program. I prayed that God would send us a Christian parent educator. I have to confess I prayed without believing. After all, I live in Rhode Island. Evangelical Christians are not exactly a dime a dozen around here!!

God answered my prayers anyway. He sent us Miss Julie. Not only is she a Christian, she's a Baptist! (Though not a Southern Baptist but beggers can't be choosers.) Our sisterhood in Christ adds an additional dimension to our activity sessions as it allows us to also discuss spiritual development, which is not on the school's curriculum list.

In fact, Miss Julie invited Will to attend Vacation Bible Time (School) at her church this summer. I felt completely comfortable sending him because she taught his class. He enjoyed the week and still talks about it.

We saw Miss Julie today. She helped coordinate a behind-the-scenes tour of our public library for those enrolled in the P.A.T. program. My boys enjoyed the tour. We even saw the little room (really just a closet) on the other side of the drive-by book drop. While we stood in the room looking at the giant basket that holds the returned books and the slot they come through, someone drove up outside and dropped about 5 books through the slot. The children thought watching the books fall in the basket was fun.

As we left the room I found myself walking with Miss Julie. She leaned toward me and whispered that her son had just told her, "Mom, I prayed that God would make someone drop some books in."

From my grown-up perspective books dropping in the basket was such a small thing. Really not worth bothering God about. But God cared. He cared about building the faith of a 9 year old boy. He cared about amusing a group of toddlers and preschoolers. And He cared about reminding this momma how much He delights in answering our prayers, even the seemingly insignificant ones.