If I could...I would

The other evening, I hung out at Barnes and Nobles with Lindsay and Jess. During the course of the evening, Lindsay reminded Jess of the time she (Lindsay) was pregnant and didn't have money to buy a new outfit and she was so tired of wearing the same thing to church for four months straight. Jess chimed in and said, 'And I came over to you in church and told you that if I had the money, I'd buy you a new outfit.' And Lindsay said, "And just you saying that made it all better. It was as if you had given me a new outfit."

Light bulbs went off in my head.

I said, "There is something to this!"

I told them a story of a little girl-I'll call her Kelli-who was adopted from another country when she was about four, I think. She's only 7 or 8 now. I was telling her class about Johann Sebastian Bach. He had 20 children and only 10 lived until they were adults. Five of his sons were also named Johann and two of his daughters were named Johanna. Almost every evening, his family would gather together and play numerous instruments while Bach sat in his chair, smoking a pipe, drinking a beer, and holding a Bach baby in his arms. "What's a Bach baby?" asked the children. "Well, it's like a Jones baby or a Smith baby," and I went around saying their last names. "Bach held his baby just like your parents held you." Little Kelli said sadly, "Not me," and she looked away and got teary-eyed. I wasn't sure what to do or say, but God did. A short time later, we were leaving the chapel, and I said to her, "Kelli, if I had been around you as a baby, I would have held you all the time." And a miracle happened. It was as if I had been around her as a baby and had held her all the time. She got happy and I think she's been more secure. She's been thinking alot about these things this year. She named her painted penguins, "Mrs. Hertzler and Kelli." She comes up and leans her head on my arm. She wants to be an art teacher when she grows up.

Just like Jess 'bought' a new outfit for Lindsay,
so I 'held' Kelli when she was a baby.
Just because we spoke the words.

Words are gifts to be used to tell people what we would like for them.
We paint words of hope with words.
We give comfort and joy.

"If I had..."
"If I could..."
I would.

If I had the money, I'd buy you that old car you want, Phil.
If I could, Susan, I would take this sickness away from you.
If I could heal your broken heart, my son, I would.
If I could go through this pain for you, I would.
If I could build you the house of your dreams, I would.

What gift can you give someone today, with your words?

God does this for us.

He tells us we were on His mind before the creation of the world
and that He's been holding us all this time.
We have always been held by God.

He tells us that He has a new outfit for us
and He clothes us with joy and praise.

He tells us that He has carried our griefs and our sorrows.

He tells us that He is building our dream house
so we can be close to Him.

He doesn't have to wish that He could do it for us.
He doesn't have to say, 'If I had the power'
or 'If I could do this for you, I would.'

He does it because He wants to.

Meanwhile, we do what we can
and give words of comfort
by using these little phrases,
"If I had.."
"If I could..."
I would.

And we pray to the One
who has
and can
and will.