27 January 2021

I walked into the room because I could hear crying. Four of my grandchildren were sleeping over because their Mum and Dad had gone out to dinner. My daughter asked if “they could sleep the night, go to Church with you and be picked up the next day after lunch?” And so they did.

They were all in the tv room. Charlotte who is 11, Eden 10, Aubrey who is 6 and Willow who is 3.

They had just finished watching a movie.

Trying to find a movie that they are all interested in watching together does not work so well anymore as the age gap gets extended from preteen to little girls.

I picked up the sobbing Aubrey, for it was she who was crying. Walked out of the room with her and sat her on my lap.  After trying to soothe her I asked her what was wrong. Through her tears she explained the movie had finished and the ads that came on had scared her and one of her sisters had not helped by explaining what they were advertising.

Firstly, I was frustrated that things come on the screen, even through advertising that you don’t want little ones to watch. That’s why we choose the most appropriate movies for them!

Secondly, I would need to talk to the big sisters later to see if they could learn to be a bit wiser in their sharing with her.

Thirdly, Aubrey is such a sensitive little soul – I love this about her – as she matures, she needs to learn how to nourish this, to stay with a sensitive heart but protect herself too. To put up shields, screens of deflection to push away the bad.

Life as we know can be cruel and harsh.

Don’t we, if we are honest, ALL have sensitive souls? Well that’s how we started out as a young child. Some more than others. I know of a few “Tough” people but when you get to know them, when you scratch the surface, they too have a sensitive side in different areas. They have often just put up a hard exterior to cope, to protect themselves, to protect their hearts.  They have been hurt over the years so have this exterior that they have built to basically say ‘stay away.’

Very few really have fully hardened hearts.

(But God can soften them too. Look at Saul – converted by an encounter with Christ to Paul the Apostle.)

So, there I am cuddling Aubrey. Letting her talk through the hiccups (yes it had got to that stage) about why she was so upset. She explained the ‘bad’ pictures displayed on the tv screen were now in her head and she could see ‘them’, and they were scaring her.

I explained that when I was a little girl this happened to me too. My Mum had taught me to go first and turn off the tv. Then go to her and get a cuddle, comfort in her arms, then to think of good thoughts to combat the bad thoughts. And so I shared these with her. Think of icecream, love, ponies, anything that she at her age enjoyed.

Strategies to combat the ‘bad thoughts’.

She said it was not working.

Then I shared that sometimes, actually all of the time, we ask for Jesus’ help. Nothing can stand before the name of Jesus. All things, even bad images, thoughts have to come and fall before Jesus. Have to come and bow before Jesus.

So even if we did not know what words to say in prayer, just say HIS NAME – JESUS!

So we said a little prayer together and asked Jesus to take away the bad pictures and replace them with good wholesome pictures in her mind. To replace them with Himself, who is all Love.

She calmed down. Jumped off my lap and went back to play with her younger sister.

A few hours later as they were all going to sleep I saw her kneeling beside her pillow (They were all camping out on the floor with pillows and quilts galore!)

I heard faintly a little prayer.

“Dear Jesus, I give you the bad pictures and I ask you to give me your good pictures in my mind.”

“Oh!” I sighed. A good sigh.

A opening up of MY SENSITIVE SOUL to the ONLY ONE who truly knows me, truly hears me. JESUS.

I so often forget my own advice.

GO TO the ONE whose NAME is JESUS – NO ONE CAN STAND BEFORE.

“so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.”

Philippians 2:10 ESV

So Jesus reminded me to stay with a sensitive Heart toward Him.

To ask Him to come and BE LORD in my Life, so that in His name – JESUS – ALL things would fall before Him that is not of Him, and that I would walk in His Victory that He gave to us.

Thank you Lord that once again you spoke to me.

That once again you gave me a glimpse of what your NAME can do.

This WONDERFUL, POWERFUL, HOLY NAME OF JESUS.

Just like the Apostle Peter in the Book of Acts who was asked by a blind beggar to give him alms…

Peter replied

 “I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.”

Acts 3:6 NRSV

Oh may we believe MORE in what HIS NAME JESUS can do, can be, for us!

May these jottings from my journal inspire you to believe in and fall in love with Christ- the hope of the world, as stated in Jeremiah 17:7, ‘Blessed is the man who believes and trusts in and relies on the Lord and whose hope and confident expectation is the Lord!’

Love

Rosemary

Every week groups of ladies meet together to chat about the things I raise in my weekly blog post and to chat about life in general. We call these ‘Heart Connect’ groups. If you would like more information please click HERE.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Have you hardened your heart? Where can Jesus soften your heart?

Do you need to believe more in what the Name of JESUS can do for you?