The Serenade of Frogs
Recently at my small men’s group, we discussed a devotional about the faith of a child. The author talked about how working at a Christian school helped him to understand this concept.
On one of his first days, a seven-year-old prayed for his pet, which had fleas. These kids trust God is close and listening, the author said, and don’t get caught up in picking the right words, sounding eloquent, or worrying about what others think of their prayer.
A friend named Dan led the discussion that morning. Because of the parallels to the lesson, he brought copies of a meditation he had written, reflecting on Jesus calling children to Him and to not hinder them from approaching Him.
Summertime Sounds
His thoughts were so profound I secured permission to share them here. They started with his observation of being reminded of the truth of Luke 18:15–17 and Matthew 18:1–6 by a recent visit to Caroline, their three-year-old granddaughter.
They were playing in the backyard in the early evening before bedtime. As the sun began to set, he heard the faint sounds of frogs croaking in and around a nearby, small grassy stream:
“To hear the sounds more clearly, I sat down on a grassy patch nearby and then called Caroline and Gisela over to join me. Caroline sat right next to me on the grass and Gisela stood beside us. I told them to be very quiet so we could hear the sound of the frogs singing nearby.”
They started a game by counting on each hand the number of times they could hear the sound of a frog croak: one finger per sound. As time passed, the croaking increased to the point the frogs seemed to blend into one steady serenade.
The louder, closer, and more harmonious the sounds, the brighter Caroline’s blue eyes grew and the bigger the smile on her face. Soon, everyone was holding up five fingers on each hand.
“Before we got up to leave, the frogs began to sing in unison, as if they were all croaking a message to each other, happy that they were all alive and well,” Dan wrote.
“When I suggested to Caroline that the frogs may be singing to each other and to us, she began to sing back to them, the one song she knew best—Happy Birthday.
“Then, as if singing with the frogs, the three of us joined together in a birthday song which became part of the frogs’ serenade . . . To add to the beauty of these moments, Caroline pointed to a gleam of sunlight showing in the woods ahead of us and remarked in her excited little way, ‘That’s where the deer sleep.’”
Quality Time & Frogs
This experience made them appreciate the importance of spending more quality time with Caroline and her little brother, no matter how brief the occasion.
On these visits, they recall Jesus’ words from Luke 18:16, that “the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (NIV) and enjoy those moments when a child shows the natural ability to love, care for, and respect all of God’s creations.
“Love, innocence, and caring for even the simplest of God’s creatures is what a child teaches us and makes us seek and strive for the heavenly kingdom where we can all live in such harmony,” Dan said.
“Thank you, God, for the serenading frogs, for the deer that have found a place to sleep at night, and for our little granddaughter who made spending this time together so special.”
Can I get an “amen”?
