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Ballerinas, Boxes, and the Bible by Katie Earles



One unexpected blessing that has come from this crazy quarantine time is the chance to spend time with the two little girls I get to babysit once a week. Not only have I gotten to help them with their schoolwork, but we play games, make breakfast and have some fun together! The other day I realized these two girls have been teaching me something that the Lord has been trying to show me for a while.

            Last week the youngest one grabbed me by the hand and excitedly pulled me into her room; she patted the ground to show me where my seat was going to be. We both sat down on the carpet and I saw that she had a beautiful jewelry box on display for me. She began to turn the mechanism on the back and when she opened the lid this beautiful ballerina began to spin to the music of the jewelry box. Once the music was in full affect, she began pull out her little pieces of jewelry one by one and she shared their story. She told me where she got it, why it was so special to her, and every little detail she could think to tell me! When I say every detail and every piece of jewelry… I mean EVERY DETAIL and EVERY PIECE.

            At the beginning I was so focused on her finishing this story so we could get back to schoolwork or making lunch, but I then realized in the moment this little girl was taking her time to show me some of the things she loved; I needed to be patient in that moment and I needed to listen with my full attention. After we finished going through the small jewelry box this little girl excitedly pulled out this big box from under her bed. She said, “This is my special box! It’s where I keep my special things.”  Then we began to go through a much bigger box. She pulled out cards and drawings from friends and family but then she pulled out something familiar. It was a present I had given her at Christmas, followed by another thing I gave her. Those little gifts I had given her ended up in her special box, and the presents I gave her sister were in there too.

            If I had been in the rush and the hurry I had started out in, I would have completely missed the sweet moment that blessed me. It was in that moment I was reminded of a bible verse that says, “Martha, Martha,” except it sounded more like, “Katie, Katie.” God used this sweet little girl and her special box to remind me of what it means to slow down and be present. In Luke 10, Jesus enters the house of Mary and Martha, who were sisters. While Martha was busy preparing things for Jesus and all the different tasks she needed to be done, her sister Mary chose to sit at the feet of Jesus; to listen and take in every single moment she could get with him. Martha being frustrated by this tells Jesus, “don’t you care that my sister has left me to serve alone? So tell her to give me a hand.”

            “Martha, Martha,” Jesus replies; the same words I heard that day in this little girl’s bedroom while we looked through her special box. In this season, life has changed. There is no denying that. Our normal has been flipped upside down but our rhythms of coming to the feet of Jesus have not. This sweet little girl helped me realize that even in the crazy seasons of life; the sweetest and safest place we can be is at the feet of our Jesus. She showed me that He isn’t in a hurry; Jesus wants to hear about every single detail of our lives, every single piece of jewelry in our ballerina jewelry boxes.

            Even in the midst of schoolwork, laundry, jobs, lunch time and playtime remember the call He beckons in our lives; to come as we are and sit at His feet. Even if it is just for five minutes, He wants to hear from you. He wants to know everything that’s happening in your world because you are His daughter. Just as I saw this sweet little girl sharing her heart with me, He sees you as his little girl and He’s waiting to hear all about the compartments of your ballerina jewelry box. 

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