3 November 2021

Willow my four-year-old granddaughter has started swimming lessons. Her parents want her to learn some water safety, so she has the ability to swim or paddle to the side of a pool if she fell in etc. The only problem (like a lot of little ones) is that she does not like to put her face in the water! A bit difficult not to do while learning to swim.

The first lesson the teacher pulls her in (with goggles on) under the water. She did not like it!

All during the week she told her Mum she is not going back to swimming.

To encourage her to continue I said that I would come in a few weeks to see her swim, so she needed to keep going to practice for me so I could come watch her soon.

The day came for the next lesson. As she arrived at the swimming pool with her Mum, she turned towards her and said, “Now you go over and tell the teacher not to dunk your little darling under the water.”

Oh, I laughed when I heard this!

I said to Melissa, “So did you say it?”

She said, “Yes but not in those words.”

‘Out of the mouths of babes’ as the saying goes – so true!

Our God would have used those words – “My little darling.”

No, Our God DOES use those words!

Have you not read Song of Songs?

Where the inspired writer is describing God’s relationship with us, talking about His bride – the church/us, God’s people – not the building.

Song of Songs 1:15

“How beautiful you are, my darling,
How beautiful you are!
Your eyes are like doves.”

Song of Songs 1:15

My love calls to me:

Arise, my darling.
Come away, my beautiful one.

Song of Songs 2:10

And then in Jeremiah:

“Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he my darling child? Surely as often as I spoke about him surely, I remember him. Therefore, I deeply yearn for him. I’ll surely have great compassion on him,” declares the Lord.

Jeremiah 31:20

Oh, this scripture speaks to me!!!! Just as I brag and talk about Willow – actually all my grandchildren – God speaks and brags about US!!!! He loves us that much. WE are His darlings!

OUR GOD deeply yearns for us.

So, these words out of Willow’s mouth WE need to remember. We are God’s darlings!

I will be reminded of this every time I see Willow swim now. I’m His darling! And don’t you forget it girls!

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

Do you feel like God’s darling? Do you feel and know the loving gaze that God has for you?

If not, what do you need to do to be reminded of that?

What can you do to remind others in your life of the loving way that God looks at them?