Originally posted on FB 11-2-12

When I worked at the Chattanooga Choo Choo, I had a really cool experience.

I worked at a craft store that faced the gardens. The trolley was across the way, and was a cherished part of my childhood. It was from New Orleans, ran on electricity, and was over 100 years old. For 50 cents you could take a ride in it around the complex and seemingly through time.

I stepped out of my store on afternoon and saw a young boy who was about 5, with his Mom close behind. I wanted to share the trolley with him – I wanted him to experience how fun and amazing it was. I said in a bright cheery voice – “Have you ridden the trolley?” and I pointed to it. He turned, looked, and turned back. Nothing. No light, no recognition. Wait – all boys love trains and trolleys. How could he not light up at the sight of this one?

I decided to get down on his level. I came down from the step at the threshold of my store, and went down to my knees near the same area where he was standing. I wanted to see things from his perspective. I looked. Of course he didn’t see it – there was a huge mass of pampas grass in the way! I’d been taller than it, so I’d not seen it as an obstruction. I got up, moved over, got down again, and looked. There was the trolley in clear view. I called out again – “Look, the trolley!” and I pointed again. He came over, saw it, and lit up. He went running for it, filled with delight and joy.

Now, the older I get, the more I see this as a story of how God interacts with us. The boy represents us. The trolley is Heaven on Earth, the Kingdom of God. It is life, and life in abundance. When I stood on the step, I was God of the Old Testament. “Look – there’s where happiness is!” But many of us can’t get there that way. We can’t trust that voice. We can’t see it, so we don’t get what we are supposed to be excited about. We don’t know how to get there. Some of us can – and that is awesome. But some of us are slower, less trusting in our Creator. We need a little extra help.

Then God changes Himself. He so wants us to have joy, to be happy, that He came down to be like us. He came down to our level to see things from our perspective. “Oh, that’s why you couldn’t get it! There was stuff in the way!” And he showed us a new way. A way stripped of all the rules, and just boiled down to two. Love God, and in a similar manner, love everyone else. Love. Just love. Show kindness. Be forgiving. Serve. Love.

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