Apple Soup

“Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” Mark 10:15 NIV

First, let me say thank you to all of the people who asked about my brother. I wrote about him last week but the follow up is good. He fortunately landed on the hardest part of every Claiborn, his head. Concussion, but he is good. He did propose to the nurse after pain meds, so we have something to give him trouble for. Back to the topic.

Ever heard the expression “If life gives you lemons, make lemonade”? I have a new spin on that – “If life gives you apples, make apple soup”. Let me explain, we got to visit a family that we love in the last couple of weeks. They have been through a lot in the last year, three miscarriages. That’s more than enough for a lifetime, but in a really short time frame.

They have two kids and at least one of them thinks that I am pretty cool. Truth. She also apparently likes to write books. She invited me to the table and offered to read me her latest book entitled “Apple Soup”. She had fully illustrated every page and stapled the edge for a binding. The only thing she left off were the words. She supplied them herself. It’s kind of a good thing because we did not have enough paper in our house to hold the story she unfolded for me.

Keep in mind this beautiful little girl has been told she was going to be a big sister three times in the past year or so. She has accepted it on faith every time only to be told something had gone wrong. She cannot fathom the nearly impossible odds of actually delivering a healthy baby. The odds are incredibly bad. Every human birth is literally a miracle. There is one more twist, the third occurred with a set of twins. One did not make it. The other appears to be healthy, a miracle in waiting.

Back to her book. Keep in mind that I once asked her mom if anyone had ever passed out due to lack of oxygen from the word count she can throw down. She can talk. In her story, the entire family is pictured in various scenes from life. They were at the park, watching television and other normal family things. They were also eating dinner, yup – apple soup.

I’ve never tasted apple soup. In fact, I have never heard of it. But the way she described it – delicious. Picture the book with color. Now picture the twins. In the picture. Every scene included mom, dad, her, brother and the twins. She did not picture this as past tense. To her, she already had them – in both present and past tense. I think she will always have them. She knows the truth. But she is focused on her view of beauty. I think writing helps her organize her beautiful mind. I can relate to the need to process the words. It’s a bit corny, but the ingredients she loves may not be to someone else’s taste, but they are perfect for her.

I am not encouraging delusion. She knows they lost one. Twins will not appear, that’s not the point. The point is childlike faith even in the midst of the unexplainable. I sat waiting for a celebration at our house after getting through the 10-year mark and listened as a six-year-old reminded me about taking things on faith. There will still be pain. There will still be questions. But there will also be a walking miracle.

In your life, what miracles can you point to? Search, they are not all big like parting the Red Sea. Most are smaller, less obvious.

Challenge: When faced with the option of questioning God on every detail, try a little Apple Soup, childlike faith in God.

Rick Claiborn