Chalk in the Driveway

I had picked it up at the store almost as an afterthought.  Once home, I put it on top of the refrigerator and then promptly forgot about it.  That is until the next week when Jack and Emma came to visit.


"Oh, look," I said to Jack, taking down the small box of sidewalk chalk, "I bought some sidewalk chalk for you."

Jack took the blue box from my hand and ran to Emma, his excitement audible in his voice, "Emma, look!  We have chalk!  Frannie  bought us some chalk!"

Nothing else would do but we had to put on our shoes and head out to the sidewalk.  We all sat down and began to draw this and that, nothing and everything.  Jack was so excited when he drew his first stick-man.  Emma and I drew hearts and flowers and curley-que nothings.  But you would have thought in possessing the sidewalk chalk those children possessed the greatest treasure of the ages.

It reminded me of this verse:

"Delight thyself also in the LORD;

and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart." 

Psalms 37:4

I once heard a preacher say that if you don't think the Lord will give you the desires of your heart, it's just that you don't know what the desires of your heart really are!
His point was that what we really desire is Jesus and when we delight ourselves in the Lord, He gives us what our heart really desires.

Our grandchildren may have thought they desired many things if I had asked them what they wanted before I handed them the chalk, but they wanted the chalk.  They wanted the chalk not because they wanted to draw, not because they love the colors of the chalk, but because they know when they draw with the chalk they draw with Frannie.  (If they are really lucky, Emmie will come out and draw with them, too!)  It is the being together, the sharing the drawing, the love they feel that causes the excitement with the sidewalk chalk.

The Lord knows those things of which we need.  He knows as well those things which we desire, but He knows those things after which our spirits truly thirst.  He knows exactly what it is which will satisfy that thirst, it is Him.  And having Him, we have all.

 "Fear not, little flock;

for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." 

Luke 12:32