Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam

Last night I sang to My Lovely as I rocked her into a state of nocturnal bliss.
And the song I sang was:

Jesus wants me for a sunbeam,
To shine for Him each day;
In every way try to please Him,
At home, at school, at play.

A sunbeam, a sunbeam,
Jesus wants me for a sunbeam;
A sunbeam, a sunbeam,
I'll be a sunbeam for Him.
Jesus wants me to be loving,
And kind to all I see;
Showing how pleasant and happy
His little one can be.

A sunbeam, a sunbeam,
Jesus wants me for a sunbeam;
A sunbeam, a sunbeam,
I'll be a sunbeam for Him.


I will ask Jesus to help me,
To keep my heart from sin;
Ever reflecting His goodness,
And always shine for Him.

A sunbeam, a sunbeam,
Jesus wants me for a sunbeam;
A sunbeam, a sunbeam,
I'll be a sunbeam for Him.

I'll be a sunbeam for Jesus;
I can if I but try;
Serving Him moment by moment,
Then live with Him on high.

A sunbeam, a sunbeam,
Jesus wants me for a sunbeam;
A sunbeam, a sunbeam,
I'll be a sunbeam for Him

It made me think... I really want her to hear these words, grow up knowing these words & be convicted & always reminded of these words each day as she goes about her days.


But, am I really living this myself?
Am I shining for Him each day?
Am I pleasing Him - at home, at work, at play?
Am I loving & kind to all I see?
Am I consistently pleasant & happy?
Am I all of these things?
Do I even make a conscious effort on a daily basis to do this - to be this?


But yet, I expect my 14 month old daughter to learn this song, grow to understand it, & then live it out?
WOW!
How completely hypocritical of me!


So, as I softly sang each syllable of each word in this song, & I watched her eyes become heavy & close, I stared at her beautiful perfect little face - her lashes long, dark, curled & beautiful - even w/her eyes closed. Her lips, perfectly rosy & plump.
Her skin - smooth, flawless & creamy.
And those dark, spiral curls of silky hair falling all over her face & frankly, all over the place!
Just.... perfection - God's miracle - the manifestation of His ultimate mercy, grace, love & blessings in my life.


And I realized...
At 14 months, this tiny little being already lives the words of that song - EFFORTLESSLY!
And I fail - CONSTANTLY.


You see, she is pure.
She is radiant without effort, so she truly is a sunbeam - to everyone she meets.
And she treats everyone the same.
She doesn't care if you are black, white, pink or green.
She doesn't care how much money you make or what religion you practice.
She doesn't care if you are young or old, fat or thin.
In her eyes, a millionaire is just the same as the homeless man on the corner.
So she smiles the exact same smile at everyone - a genuine smile.
And she looks at all people through the exact same innocent eyes.
All people are equal to her.


So really... I have to remind myself of this, & then live it out, & THEN, as she grows - it will simply be who she is. Not something that I have to constantly teach her.
If she sees that is who I am & how I live, then it will in turn, be who she is & how she lives.


I'm sure I'll fail many a times - over & over between now & the day I die.
But I have decided to make a conscious effort to be that sunbeam - if for no one else, for her & especially for the God so merciful that He chose to bless me w/her.
So after a long & frustrating week & coming to work in a... well, frankly... crabby mood & a funk that I didn't want to come out of, I woke up this morning & was reminded "sunbeam" so I came in smiling & have made a conscious effort to remain joyful all day.
And guess what?
I genuinely FEEL better - on the inside.
I no longer FEEL crabby.
My funk is gone.
Not b/c it left on its own, but b/c I chose to not embrace it!


............
A sunbeam, a sunbeam,
Jesus wants me for a sunbeam;
A sunbeam, a sunbeam,
I'll be a sunbeam for Him :)