The Gospel in Legos

Saturday night I walked into  our six year old's bedroom to discover that at some point throughout the day there had obviously been a Lego explosion because Legos were everywhere.  I mean it was not safe to talk through that room, because stepping on a Lego embeds that Lego into your foot and causes more pain than one could ever imagine coming from a child's toy.

It was a daunting clean up, even to me, at my age.  So I can only imagine what it looked like to him.  It must have seemed insurmountable.  However, we told Sweet E, he had to clean up after his shower before he went to bed, and he had been looking forward to a sleepover with his brother all day.

So after getting his jammies on he quickly went to work on cleaning his room, he was motivated.  After about 15 minutes he began to lose steam.  He came into my room and said, "Mom I can only do half...it is crazy in there, Legos are all over."

I honestly was thankful at that point because he had been self controlled, had not thrown a fit (we are raising children here and they tend to throw fits when they are young) and just seemed pretty grown up with his comment. 

"Let me see baby" and I followed him into his room.

I was surprised, he had done a lot, well more than half and he had done a good job.  He was putting legos where they belonged and other toys in their places as well.

So I bent down and looked at his little eyes and said, "Eli...I'm going to help.  I'm going to pick up the remainder of the Legos, but you are responsible for putting away all the other toys in their spot."

He looked at me and said, "thank you Mommy."

So we began working together, and in the quietness of cleanup, I glanced at him and softly asked...

"Eli, did Mommy make this mess?"

"No, I did."

"Eli, should Mommy have to clean this up?"

"No, I should, but it is hard."

"Eli do you know what grace is?"

"Yeah it's Jesus."

"Yeah, it is son, it is Jesus Christ, living and dying and rising again to offer us forgiveness of our sins, when we do not deserve it."

"Hey Mommy, Satan needs grace.."

"Well Eli, the point is..Mommy is giving you grace right now, you do not deserve for me to clean up your crazy mess, I didn't do it, it's not my responsibility, but I'm going to help because I love you."

"Thanks Mommy, I like grace."

"Yes baby, I'm so grateful for it too, and we all need it do you know why?"

"Because we are all sinners?  Especially Satan."

"Especially us, baby....we all need it, remember God's word? 'For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.' Romans 3:23"

As I was able to sit on the floor of my baby's room and clean up legos I began to praise the Lord for His provision and grace.  He is a God who is merciful and gracious and patient.  That He would use me, a sinner in need of so much grace and forgiveness myself, in the life of a 6 year old, and grant me words to connect cleaning up legos to His provision of forgiveness of sins...which is our greatest need no matter who we are.  I am humbled.  Our God is a faithful God.

Over the course of the last 10 days or so, my family has entered into a trial.  It's not fun, it's uneasy and uncertain.  It's frustrating because we have done nothing wrong.  We are in fact the innocent ones, but it seems in our society that we are no longer innocent until proven guilty, but perhaps it is guilty until proven innocent.  It's unfortunate.  It's disheartening and it makes it very easy to lose faith in men or any man made institution.

Which is okay, because we do not place our hope in man.  Our Father, provider of all our needs, the One who met our deepest need at Calvary with His only Son, is where our hope lies.  He has provided for our deepest need, how will He not provide for this need?  Our God is good.

It's absolutely wonderful because I personally feel like a lego explosion has gone off inside of my mind.  There are tiny pieces of this mess all over the place, and it's impossible to walk through my mind without getting hurt.  Sin hurts.  It never brings relief or healing, and when it's the sin of others directed at you, it's even more hurtful.  This little lego explosion I chose to clean up that wasn't mine, is just like what's going on now.

This trial we are going through isn't the Lord's He didn't do anything, He doesn't have to deal with the mess or pick up the pieces...and yet...

  Psalm 121

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; 

From where shall my help come?

 My help comes from the Lord,  

Who made heaven and earth. 

 He will not allow your foot to slip; 

He who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, He who keeps Israel
Will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade on your right hand.
 The sun will not smite you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
 The Lord will protect you from all evil;
He will keep your soul.
 The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in
From this time forth and forever.

Friends, this is my God, in the midst of the trials and uncertainties of life, I am resting in the One who created it all.  He rules it, He reigns, He's got this.  Not because I deserve His favor or comfort, but simply because of who He is, I have trusted in Him, and my life is in His hand.

He is quietly walking into the Lego minefield of my mind, gently picking up the pieces and lovingly assuring me that He is right there with me, every piece and step of the way because of Who He is.

He whispers to my soul sweet words...truth....that can reach to the depth of the human soul as nothing else can and penetrate the worry with peace that surpasses all understanding because it comes from the Divine, Holy, Creator, Loving Father who wooed me to the cross, exposed my sin and saved me with His Son.


God speaks life:  "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." Romans 15:13