A Better Boy

A Better Boy

Anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Matthew 18:4

Luke, my firstborn grandchild, was barely three when his sister, Sarah, came along. He had been the happy recipient of all the attention for three years straight, so having a sister was a major adjustment in his little life.

When Sarah was only a month old, she caught a cold, so we stopped by the drugstore on the way home from picking Luke up from the church day care. I was giving baby Sarah more attention than Luke because of her illness and did not want her to become fussy during the long wait at the pharmacy. Luke did not appreciate that one little bit! He proceeded to put on a one-boy show for all those in line with us, while stretching his mother’s already paper-thin patience.

Finally, meds in hand and heading to the car, Christy, my daughter, very sternly scolded Luke for his misbehavior. “You were not a good boy in the store! I think you need to pray to Jesus that you can be a better boy.”

After buckling both children in the backseat, Christy and I settled into the front seats of the car. I glanced back at Luke, ready to assure him of my love and soothe his tiny ego. There he sat, head bowed, eyes closed, hands clasped in prayer, earnestly pleading, “Dear Jesus, please make me a better boy.”

How sweet, and how touching. Luke melted our hearts, and although we tried to keep from laughing, we couldn’t keep from crying. I think sometimes Father God longs to hear such earnest, childlike prayers from his grown-up children too.

—Shari Gunter

Dear God, please help me to be the best me I can be, and let me do it not for me but for your glory and praise. I want to be like you, Lord. Amen.