Mar
23
2021
Rolling Marbles
Posted in Faith 2 Comments
Two handmade toys in our house are quite popular with children.
They were both made by an Amish man.
They have no bells or whistles.
They are just old fashioned fun.
One of these toys is on the low windowsill in the kitchen.
The other is on the low windowsill in the dining room.
Both wide windowsills are actually window seats.
However, young children like to stand next to them since they are just the right height.
The toys are marble rollers.
One is made from tobacco lathe from an Amish farm.
The other is made from barn wood.
Both have delighted many children.
The large marble roller can be quite loud, especially when many marbles go down at once.
The smaller marble roller, in the dining room, is a favorite for very young children.
Of course, marbles need to be used with supervision.
Often, depending on the age of the child, I will put the marbles away for a bit.
When my youngest granddaughter is here, I make sure the marbles are put away.
It is too tempting to see delightful glass balls of many colors.
It is too tempting to see something that is small enough to be finger food.
I have to be one step ahead of her or any child who is very young.
Our house is baby proofed.
Outlets have plug caps.
Toys with small pieces are kept out of reach.
I try to see the house through a child’s eyes.
Two of my granddaughters were here for an overnight at Grandma’s house.
I made sure that age appropriate toys were out for them.
I baked brownies so my oldest granddaughter could have one after dinner.
I thought I was ready and thought of everything.
As I was getting dinner, my husband walked around the downstairs with the youngest one.
She will turn one-year-old in a month.
She is on the verge of walking; sidestepping on everything.
She loves to stand at the toy chest, the coffee table, and the low windowsills.
I heard the two of them in the dining room.
She had been walking with Pop-Pop, holding onto one of his fingers.
I was just about to tell my husband to move the marbles.
Then I heard the sound.
The little container of marbles that is at the base of the roller had toppled to the the floor.
Since we have hard wood floors in the dining room, the marbles rolled everywhere.
I heard them rolling all over the room.
I wondered if we would be quick enough to get them before she found one to put in her mouth.
My oldest granddaughter, her sister, came to the rescue.
She thought it was fun to find the rolling marbles and put them in the container.
My husband got on his hands and knees to look under the grandfather clock in the corner.
I found a few under the dining room table.
Even though we thought we got them all, I still wanted to be careful.
We have a swinging door between the kitchen and the dining room, which we closed.
Rolling marbles are tricky.
They are impossible to get until they stop rolling and even then, they hide under things.
I often wonder why I have these toys anyway?
I have them because they have been enjoyed by more children than I can count.
I have them because they were made for me by a sweet, Amish man.
I have them because they add a bit of country whimsy to our home.
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
(Psalm 139:7-12)
To my youngest granddaughter, the rolling marbles were out of sight and out of mind.
To her older sister, the rolling marbles could be found only if they were in an obvious place.
To my husband and I, even on our hands and knees, we might not have found every one.
This whole episode made me think of what God sees.
There is nowhere we can go beyond His sight; nowhere we can hide that He cannot find us.
There is no place, anywhere, in which we remain unseen.
We cannot roll out of God’s vision
We cannot escape His loving, watchful eyes.
That is such a comfort.
Even though we went over the room with a fine tooth comb, I still wonder.
Did we find all the marbles?
Are there any rogue marbles hiding in some obscure corner of the dining room?
I am so thankful that I am seen by God, my Father.
I am so grateful that I am never out of His sight for even a moment.
He is always watching.
I am always seen.
Thank you, Father, for Your tender loving care.
Thank you, Father for never taking Your eyes off Your children.
I am so glad that I am seen.
I am so glad that You hold me fast.
Me too! Knowing He is with me makes all the difference!
PS I pray we can gather again at your house in the fall–I miss you!
Sue,
I miss you and all the women of Reflections Bible study.
I am anxious to see what the Fall may look like for Bible study.
Blessings,
Gina