Inspiration to the world

As I followed my nephews down the steep trail, I thought how wonderful it would be if the earth were populated only by kids like these. I had asked them earlier what their parents had done to raise such delightful children.
"Discipline," they told me,"Taking away anything with a screen when we misbehave."
Whatever my sister has done, it is certainly working well.
I was pondering this as we hiked down Round Top- the mountain known in my high school days as the place where teenagers went to drink beer and do other things frowned upon by nice people. We were hunting for arrowheads and hidden caves we had been assured were nestled on Round Top. Every sharp stone the youngest nephew uncovered, he excitedly came running to me and asked if it was an arrow head.
"Nope . But it is almost the right shape. You'll know it's real when you see the chip marks."
So he continued the hunt. We found yellow mushrooms, yummy blackberries, a hidden letter box, 2 fossils- but no arrowheads.

Later that evening, Favorite Aunt Amy did a live stream video with the nephews' parents. We all sat in the living room and chatted with each other and with the lonely parents.
"That's odd," said Amy,"3 people are watching the live stream ."
One person was the nephew's mom. The second revealed himself through the "chat" capability on this magical technology. It was someone from Mexico. Mind you, much as I love my family, this was hardly riveting video. None of us were juggling or unicycling or eating live rattlesnakes. We were just chatting.
"You are a typical American family," wrote the Mexican, "Nice. "
So who was viewer number three? He never revealed himself. The parents were
delighted to see live video of their kids and it made sense that they were
watching. The Mexican watched nearly the whole time too and that made some sense as he was obviously taken with the niceness of the boys (and of course my dear Asherel)-but who was viewer number three?
I have my suspicions. I don't think Viewer Number Three normally needs live video stream to watch us and I think He is always watching. I think we brought the simple love of family to a few lonely people and perhaps delighted one relational deity.

I often agonize over all the mistakes I make as a parent, a spouse, a sister, and a friend. I fall so far short so many times. But my family shines with enough love that even folks in Mexico can tell it is the real thing. They must see the chip marks.

And I know that despite all those battle scars of living life with others , which i seem to accumulate no matter how deeply I love them, are not held against me. I am forgiven and redeemed by Viewer Number Three with His own chip marks carved upon His Hands.
Tomorrow we will scour the other side of the mountain hunting for the arrowheads.

2 John 1:1-4
...whom I love in the truth---and not I only, but also all who know the truth--- [2] because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever: [3] Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father's Son, will be with us in truth and love. [4] It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us.

Nothing is impossible with God.
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