On Wednesday evenings, I usually have some little ones sitting next to me. Their parents don’t attend with them, and so they come and sit with me. It’s evident that they’ve never gone to worship before…because everything begs a question and all of the songs are foreign and all of the concepts a little strange. But, after weeks and weeks and weeks of coming and listening and attending Bible classes, I received this note from a little boy:

“God is everything and is kindful and loveful, don’t you agree? God made us, He did not throw us in a garbage can. He loves us and He is a treasure.”

Those words, y’all!! They are precious and sincere and magnificent, don’t you think? I have never had the thought cross my mind that God did not throw us in a garbage can….because, well, why would I? It’s not a thought we typically have. And yet, isn’t it a thought we should have? Shouldn’t we praise God every single day because He didn’t put us in a garbage can?! After all, He created us, and we failed Him…miserably. It didn’t take long before His created decided they would rather act on their own desires than obey their Maker’s desires. It wasn’t long until the entire world–save eight souls–were thoroughly drenched in wickedness. It didn’t take long after that for His own chosen people to neglect Him and turn to other (false) gods. How thankful should we be that God didn’t wipe His Almighty hands of His perverse and disappointing creation and dump us in a garbage can! How thankful should we be that, even though we deserved to be discarded, God chose to send His Son to earth where HE –God in the flesh– would be treated like garbage.

To God be every ounce of praise that our spirits can summon. To God be every ounce of thanksgiving for His lovingkindness and mercy and long suffering. Thanks be to Almighty God for not throwing us in a garbage can….but for loving us and saving us. And thanks be to God for giving us children who can open our eyes to how wonderful He is.