I had just a minute to sit with a cup of coffee, a sweet sip of rejuvenation, and it was simple joy when I sank into the comfort of my favorite chair.
Then I saw them.
There was a plant, spikey and island green, in a heavy, glazed pot. It sat on the marble hearth. But it wasn’t the plant that made me smile. Or the pot that held it.
It was the toys.
Tiny policemen. Six or eight of them. Posed and perched on the slim, shiny leaves.
Oh, the unique blessings of a houseful of boys.
It wasn’t unusual to find such a thing. Batman has been bobbing in the bathtub for two decades. Rubber lizards lounge in the basin of the pedestal sink. A synthetic snake coils around the curtain rod in our schoolroom.
Boys are present here.
Affirmation of their presence delights me.
And although it is a little different from the left-behind treasures of little boys, we, as followers of Christ, can leave a delightful trace of the presence of the Lord.
As believers in Jesus as God’s one and only Son, we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. And the Spirit’s very Presence can radiate through me. That means that every person we come into contact with, every living, breathing, desire-of-His-heart, can be left with the grace of His love.
In any situation.
For even a slip of time.
If we’ve forgiven, we’ve left His trace.
If we’ve extended mercy, we’ve left His trace.
If we’ve shown compassion and kindness, we’ve left His trace.
It is always possible to leave the fingerprint of God’s love.
READ MORE: THE ONE WHO NEVER GROWS WEARY
I reached out to pluck the toy troop from my plant. I lifted a single gentleman from the leaves. I turned him over in my hand.
Suddenly I thought better of removing him. I tenderly placed him back on his look-out.
The guys needed to stay.
They were a small but powerful reminder of what I want to leave behind.
