Have you ever read the story, "Where the Red Fern Grows"? If you have never read it, it is about a young boy who saves up his money for 2 years...doing odd jobs...to buy 2 huntin' dogs. He names them Big Dan and Little Ann. He teaches them to go 'coon huntin' and the story revolves around the love that these 3 have for each other. We borrowed the CD's from the library so Abby has been listening to them. Today when I called the kids to lunch, Abby came in with tears in her eyes and a look like she was about to burst. I asked her what the matter was and with a quivering lip she sadly said, "Big Dan died. He laid his life down for Billy (the boy)" She hadn't gotten to the part yet where Little Anna dies of a "broken heart" and I didn't want to make the present situation worse so I didn't tell her. I asked her, "Abby, who laid their life down for Abby?" She responded, "Jesus". I asked her, "Does that make you cry? Does that make you smile?" Her response was, "No". I told her that it should.
Do we cry or have a thankful smile when we think about what the Lord Jesus did for us? We should. It should "dissolve our heart in thankfulness and melt our eyes to tears" as the hymn very rightly states. I found Abby a little later...still listening and crying....she now knows the end of the story...that Little Ann dies too.
2 comments:
Wow! What a great teaching moment you had with Abby. She has a tender heart. This challenged and convicted me because I always have a reason to smile because of the Lord's sacrifice for me, and not often enough are my eyes "melted to tears" when thinking about the fact that He laid down His life for ME. Thanks for sharing, Stacey!
We read that book in 6th grade! I couldn't imagine sharing it with someone younger...because of the dogs dying. I'm amazed you had such a tender moment.
Our dog isn't doing well and we may need to make the hard decision. Maybe the book would help our children mourn. What do you think?
Wish we could do coffee or tea this weekend!
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