Ashley's first prayer
God through the eyes of a child...
Each person's journey is unique.
I'll never forget the day that our daughter pounded her little fist on her knee and said, "I wanna know what you guys know!" It wasn't long before Jesus took action.
My husband, Pat, got the first message. Jesus told him that she was a little too young for the "cell phone" but that He would give her messages in a different way. We knew that He meant He would teach her with our guidance.
She has always had a fascination with UFOs, so that was her first question. I got the answer (sort of) instantaneously. I opened my KJV and the answer, as usual, just popped off the page. It was the book of Isaiah where the aliens devour our land. We've never actually interpreted it yet, thankfully, I might add, but it was satisfactory to her at the time.
Her first prayer was about a puppy. Her and Pat were going puppy shopping and I had been talking to her about careful selection and taking her time in choosing the right one. While they were gone I was working on my book. I was typing something totally unrelated when I felt His hand on my shoulder and heard the voice of my Lord. He said, "You did good. You taught Ashley to pray." I felt really, really warm. There is no greater feeling than to be told by God that you did a good job.
It was several hours before Pat and Ashley came home; bringing with them the cutest little chihuahua puppy we had ever seen. Weighting in at a whopping 1.7 lbs., Little Josie. Ashley proceeded to tell me how she had gone upstairs and prayed before they left. She had asked God to please help her find her puppy THAT DAY.
Josie stole our hearts like no other dog we had ever known. She was perfect. We called her our prayer puppy. She even went to my mother-in-law's church on Christmas eve. When the choir sang, Josie sang. The preacher was very open to "preaching to all God's creatures" and even allowed her to come back on Sunday morning. My daughter loves that church.
Little Josie wasn't with us for as long as we would have wished. She graced our lives for about a year. I was working in the basement one night. My hubby opened the door and Josie ran out between his feet. She ran into the street and was hit by a speeding car. The guy got out of the car and said, "Where's the leash?" My husband told him not to step onto our property and he left. I was hysterical. Thankfully Ashley wasn't home and there was no blood. Not one single drop.
God was mad at me that day. He told me that we are supposed to sacrifice with joy. And if I was acting like that now, what would I do when things really get rough? I straightened myself out before Ashley got home. She was devastated. We buried Little Josie under a tree and planted miniature red roses in her memory.
I told Ashley that God must have needed Little Josie for something pretty important. And I reminded her that even though she never really knew Gram (my precious Grammy) that she did know her because I had kept her alive in our hearts. Three days later 30 of our young people were killed on campus at Virginia Tech. My mind has somehow connected these events.
It was quite a while before we could go puppy shopping again. My daughter was getting quite mature. She had asked me for a bible. One like my big red one so she could look things up. I was honored to give her the one that she asked for.
One day, out of the blue, she said something about never being able to replace Little Josie. I told her to go back to where little Josie came from and she went back to the alter. This time she got a message. "Chocolate brown with floppy ears". I got one too. "Jesus heals on Sunday".
We found Little Brutus on Saturday. He was on a farm on the Eastern shore. We were all really hesitant but he was, afterall, "chocolate brown with floppy ears". I gave Pat a nod and he paid for Brutus. I'll never forget driving away feeling like a pack of traitors.
By Sunday those feelings were being replaced by laughs and smiles. Ashley kept some of Josie's most special toys and shared the rest with Brutus.
Brutus is a farm boy. He is messy and boisterous and we love him. He's the biggest chihuahua ever! 10 lbs of boy. He likes to suck on your ears. Yuk! Basically, Brutus rules.
And then it happened. Me and Ash were getting in the car one day. She was nearing her 15th birthday. And she said,"I heard it. I heard the voice." I stopped dead in my tracks to hear her. She said it was calm and soothing and she held up her finger and said it was in one ear. I asked which ear and much to my satisfaction she pointed to her right. You see, that was a detail that I had always intentionally withheld. A double blind, if you will. Jesus has always spoken in my right ear and in only in my right ear. I can die happy now, knowing my daughter has the Light. As if I ever doubted.
Ashley helps her little friends without even realizing it. It's the coolest thing. The same thing that allowed Quantum physics to advance (the dieing off of Einsteinians) is also allowing the advancement of Gnosticism (the death of doctrine). My daughter has no need to seek true religion because she never knew a false one.
These are the fruits of my labor. Some might see them as meager, but I regard them as gold. I have a little family who worships truly and believes with all our hearts and souls. We have no need to go to "church". We ARE a church. And God loves us.
Friend, I'm sure you are well on your way spiritually. You certainly don't need ANY advice from ME! But, God said that if we walk in the truth we will always hear His voice. You could try pounding your fist on your knee and saying, "I want to know what Ashley knows!"
Puppy update: A couple of days ago, Pat and Ash came home with 1lb. Roxy. She is living proof that one need not be large to be in charge. I keep calling her Josie. My parrots can't seem to break the habit either. I can't help wondering how many of these little blessings I'm going to have to clean up after!
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