Strawberry fields

Today I had the chance to talk with a young lady who has become increasingly frustrated with the fact that she doesn't know what she wants to do in life. After learning she would be attending nursing school this fall, I asked, "How do you know you want to do nursing?" She became so unsettled that she began to cry as she exclaimed, "I don't know! I don't know if I will even like it! What if I get in school and just end up hating it?! I just don't want to fail . . ."

In response to her fear of failure, I shared a story with her. I'll share it with you, as well, because I thought it was so cool . . .

Imagine a 3 year old - someone as precious as my Jasmine, for example, standing in the middle of a field. Since we're in Oregon, we'll just say it's a field of strawberries. Now, just at the edge of the field stands her Papa. (If you have an accurate understanding of who God is, then it is God at the edge of the field. If you have any misunderstandings of who God is, then just imagine it is someone you love more than anyone else in the world.) Going on . . .

The three year old is picking strawberries, and putting them in a little blue plastic pail- the kind you find at the dollar store, along with the other beach toys. As you look over, you notice that it is nearly filled to the rim, when the toddler decides to start running across the field to deliver her prized trophies to her Papa. However, just as she begins to pick up her pace, her little sandal gets caught in a runner and she trips to the ground. Most of what she had labored for is spilled to the ground. Startled at first, she looks up and catches the sight of her Papa - loving smile unphased by this latest mishap - and she quickly stands up, grabs her pail, and heads for the edge again.

At this point, you realize she has left most of the strawberries on the ground, and even managed to step on a good portion of them in her haste to get going again. You watch as she continues, stumbling, falling again, and eventually reaching the edge. She stands before her Papa, face smudged, dress dirty and crumpled, and presents her treasured pail of strawberries - except now, it is only 1/4 of what it originally contained.

Now, what parent in his right mind would point to the pile of spilled strawberries and say, "Look what you've done! What a waste - how could you be so thoughtless as to make such a mess? Go back and pick up what you spilled, you filthy good-for-nothing!" I dare say that no parent would ever think to ridicule or belittle such a selfless undertaking. To the contrary, the only imaginable response - especially towards such a precious little one - would be pride, joy, and a warm embrace coupled with words of praise.

After sharing the story, it was so wonderful to see this girl's eyes light up - "He loves the gift not for its own value, but because he loves the person giving it." Bingo! You've got it! We sat there, laughing, crying, overjoyed at the realization that God loves what we offer because ultimately, He loves us.

I heard someone say once that joy is just a taste of heaven. If that is true, then I surely tasted it today. What a precious and loving Father we have.