Poems and Proverbs of the Crazy

God's Little Buddy

Daddy! Daddy!
What's wrong little buddy?
My friends were being mean to me.
Why? Did you do something funny?
No Daddy! I fell and they were mean about it.
And did you throw a fit?
No Daddy, I tried to be polite...
Ah, now I see your plight.
Daddy, why are people so mean?
I'll tell you, but we have a cut to clean.
Daddy it's from my fall.
I think there's bandages in the hall.
Daddy! I want to know why people do bad things.
You know when I told you about Angels with wings?
Yes Daddy, they try to protect me.
Did you know that there's something else you can't see?
Like God Daddy?
Almost but less... Heavenly.
Who is it Daddy?
Well, not all Angels are good you see.
Are they bad like people too?
Some are bad, but some are good, like you.
Am I really good Daddy?
Yes, as long as you love Jesus faithfully.
But... But Daddy...
What is it little buddy?
I can't be good!
I think you could.
But I took candy from you yesterday!
And then what did you say?
I lied to you Daddy!
And what do you feel now little buddy?
I'm so sorry Daddy! I'm not good enough for God!
Little buddy, I forgive you, the fact that you confessed shows a lot.
You're not mad?
It makes me only a little sad.
But I did something bad.
I forgive you son, I'm not even a little mad.
I don't understand Daddy.
Let me tell you something, little buddy,
I love you more than that candy you took,
I care more about your confession than your lie,
And so does God.
How can God love me Daddy? He's perfect!
Because he loves you, little buddy,
You're God's little buddy.
I'm His little buddy?
Yep, there, you're all fixed up.
What about the mean boys Daddy?
Nothing today, OK little buddy?
Why Daddy?
You need time to recharge a little.
What are we going to do?
What do you want to do?
I want to... I want to go to church.
Good idea little buddy, let's go to church.
But Daddy, it's Tuesday. Church isn't open.
You want to go to church to be with God, right?
Yes Daddy.
Well, we can be with God right now.
Really? What do we do?
I think we should start by reading something from the Bible.
Oh yay! Can we read about Jonah Daddy? And King David and Moses?
Yes we can little buddy, and we can do it everyday of you like.
I would like that Daddy.
I would too little buddy, let's go be with God.
**********
Shortly after this conversation, the son's mother died in a terrible accident. That day, the father was so distraught he could barely stand. He didn't know how to go on at first, but then he felt a finger on his shoulder. Turning around slowly, wiping the tears from his eyes, the father saw the little boy standing behind him, clutching his Bible to his chest. A swirl a thankfulness came to the man and he thanked God for giving him a son to help him in his time of need. The boy sniffed and held out the Bible to his Daddy, tears welling in his eyes. His daddy took it and opened it to the book of John. He pulled his son into his lap and wrapped his arms around him. A tear fell from the boy's eye and landed perfectly upon the verse 3:16. The verse had lost its meaning to the father by its overuse, but the reason it had been used by so many returned to him. He read it aloud to his son, who after a moment asked what the verse meant.
"It means you'll see your mother again some day."
***********
Decades passed and the tradition of reading the Bible together became harder and harder to perform, until the father's little buddy graduated and went to college. The boy returned as often as he could to his father to read with him, but it was difficult. Tragically, before the boy could finish college, his father got into an accident right next to where his wife had so many years ago. In critical condition, he was rushed to the hospital, where attempts to save him were futile. The boy arrived as the man lay dying. He brought that one Bible that he had brought his father when his mother died and placed it where his father could see it. The man asked his little buddy to read something to him, the story of Jonah. Th boy immediately picked up the Bible and began to read, causing a smile to form on his father's lips. The boy, distracted by his reading, failed to see as his father peacefully closed his eyes, and died. The boy's voice cracked as he noticed his father's closed eyes, and he reached out to grasp his hand. Though it was already becoming cold, it held a sort of emotional warmth.
"I'll see you and mom again some day."