THE CHILD. Here’s a portrait of the boy who made his mother cry. I asked him how it felt to know that his words had that much power. Relax. It’s a happy family story like you won’t find in the Bible.
IF YOU’RE LOOKING for a story in the Bible about how to create a happy family, lol.
I don’t know why there are so many unhappy families in the Bible. Maybe it’s because those stories come from the patriarchal age when men were in charge.
Is there anything we haven’t screwed up?
For whatever reason, family stories in the Bible are sometimes rough as rape and mean as murder. No one’s telling stories about Papa Abraham giving lollipops to Ishmael. He sends the boy and young momma into the desert with a bag of water and a sayonara.
Bible writers wanted better. They demanded better.
“Respect your mother,” (Leviticus 19:3). If there’s a warm and fuzzy story in the Bible about someone doing that—aside from Jesus making wine when he didn’t want to but when his mother insisted—I’d like to be reminded of it.
In the meantime, here’s a happy family teardrop
My five-year-old grandson was feeling too puny for daycare this week, so he spent the day with me and my newly retired nurse of a wife. Evan’s mom, a nurse-practitioner, was working. So was his doctor dad. I’m the only non-medical person in the bunch, which is probably why he came upstairs to my office to play with my papers and hit the drop-release lever on my chair while I’m typing.
I showed how I could dictate what I wanted to write, though I seldom write that way. Then I showed him how Microsoft Word could read back what I dictated.
He got excited. When he gets excited, his whole body rumbles like the NASA rocket I missed because I was inside watching TV to see when it would launch.
Grandson dictator
“I want to dictate something to my mom!” He grabbed my old Blue mic, flipped aside the screen protector, and said,
“I love you mom I love you too mom you are the best mom in the world I’m sorry that you’re working clinically you’re working so hard that I feel so good for that that I’m so proud of you I love you mom you’re the best.”
I let Microsoft Word read it back to him.
Now he was really, really, really pumped. He grabbed the mic again and added,
Love you mommy the best best best best best in the world I can’t believe that you’re the best I’m you’re the best best best I’m sorry that you’re working clinically again but you’re the best best best best best ever made.”
She’s my daughter, so I added “And I made you.”
My grandson made me delete it.
I think he’s the youngest person to edit me.
I emailed the note to my daughter at work. Then I texted her, because she’ll read a text now when she’ll let the emails slide for later.
She texted me back, “I cried.”
Later, I let my wife read his note. She got teary, too, and it wasn’t even about her.
Inspiration beyond the Bible
Did God inspire my grandson in the way he inspired Bible writers?
Who put the Spirit in that kid? God knows.
I believe there’s one God. If the good in life comes from him, why not the inspiration in the young boy’s words and the devotion they express?
When I told him his Mom cried, he looked hurt and asked why.
I told it was probably because of the punctuation.
Hurt turns angry fast. I could see it. So I told him it was really because his heart had warmed his mother’s heart.
He put his hand on his heart like he was pledging allegiance to his mother. There, now I get teary thinking about that picture I didn’t take.
I think it’s okay to say the Bible could have used more stories like that.
But the story of God in the world continues with us, a chapter in a day and a book in a lifetime. For we can often find God’s inspiration in each other.
Sometimes we can’t.
But that’s another story. It’s in the Bible.
Casual English Bible®
Bible map search engine
Help support Casual English Bible®
Become a Patron
Steve’s Bible-background YouTube Channel
More feature articles
Who stole Matthew 17:21
Funny-odd Bible Proverbs
Bible Gateway
Leave a Reply