SAPPHIRE

“Mummy, mummy.”

My four year old daughter called out from her play room as I heard the sound of her little feet pad the passage towards the kitchen.

I couldn’t come up with why she would call me but I knew one thing for sure, she had once again gotten tired of her video songs.

I dropped the plate I was washing and rinsed my hands.

I moved quickly to the gas cooker to check the food I was boiling.

“Victory, victory hallelujah…” she sang as she entered the kitchen.

“Mummy. Mummy. ” she called again as she patted my leg to get my attention.

“Yes, baby. What is it?”
I covered the pot in front of me before staring down at her.

“Bible Story!” she said as she held up her small picture Bible up at me.

“I knew it!” I said under my breath.

“Sapphire, listen to me.” I said as her little eyes peered at me with rapt attention.

“Daddy will be back from work anytime soon and I still have a long way to go with Lunch. So could you just read it on your own today? Please!”

I said as I pulled out a small stool and assisted her to sit on it.

“Mummy, Aunty said I’m reading rubbish.”

“Just keep opening it. OK.”
I said as she nodded and focused back on the Bible.

I hasted back to the sink to continue washing the dishes.

I looked back at her as she opened each pages and stared at the pictures thoughtfully.

I smiled.

My little girl was a bundle of Wonder.

Years earlier when I had discovered I was expecting, I started speaking to the young life in my womb like I would to a little child.

As the life in my womb turned two months, I would pray for her and declare great things into her life.

At five months, I would sit and tell her Bible Stories. I would also teach her songs.

At this point, my husband would watch me in amazement but I knew I was sowing a seed in the life in me.

I wouldn’t spend much time but in those minutes the child in me would remain calm ‘listening’.

One of the days, I knew it wasn’t all in vain was when I was 7 months gone and I was in a lot of discomfort that day. The little one in me was probably so excited or really uncomfortable about something.

I and my husband tried everything but I wasn’t comforted in any way.

A song I would always sing then came to my mind and I had not even finished singing the first line when she remain calm.

My husband had looked at me that day and said “Looks like someone has been having a good time with her mother.”

A day after she was born and my mom was giving her a warm bath and she started crying, I started singing the song and she paused to listen.

There were days I would be working and singing the song. Sapphire would not take her eyes off me for those moments except she fell asleep. As she grew, she would even mumble words after me in her own way.

I also continued the Bible Story sections with her.

I would tell her stories while breastfeeding her and whenever I had the opportunity to be alone with her. I also made sure to keep tab of each story I had told her making it in such a way that I told her each story at least three times.

I would play songs for her to listen and as young as she was, she began to develop a special interest for Don Moen’s songs.

My young daughter grew on with the word of God as a special interest.

At her tender age, she found it uncomfortable to sit still with video songs or games for long as she gets bored so fast and would come running to me for her “Bible Story.”

She didn’t mind not playing with other kids as long as she had her Picture Bible with her.

“Mummy.” She called jolting me back to the present.

“Yes dear.” I said looking back at her.

“It’s boring.”

“It’s boring?”

“Hmm!” she said as she shook her head.

“Sapphire, are you saying the Bible is boring?” I looked at her questionably.

“No mummy but it is not boring if you tell me.”

“OK. I understand. Which one should I narrate to you?”

“This one.” she said as she stood up to show me the page that had caught her interest.

“OK. That’s the story of Peter.”

“I know Peter.” she said looking at me.

“Really?”

“The one that said he did not know Jesus.” she said confidently.

“Are you sure?” I asked as I squinted my eyes at her.

“Yes! He even said it three times. Mummy, you told me the story now.” she said looking at me as if trying to figure out why I was acting like that.

“Sapphire, clap for yourself.”
I said as she jammed her hands together.

“Mummy, Jesus is happy.” she said in a whisper.

“Hmm, How do you know that?”
I asked surprised.

“Because I did not forget the Bible Story. I know Jesus is happy.”

“Oh! That’s great.” I replied laughing as I quickly moved to check what I was cooking.

“Sapphire, sit down. Let me check what I’m cooking.”

“Okay Ma.” she replied with a wide smile as she returned to her previous position.

“Thank you Lord for Sapphire.” I said silently.

“OK. So it happened that after Jesus fed the people with five loaves of bread and two fishes he told the disciples to be going so that he would send the people away.”

“After that, he went to pray for sometime. When he was done, he walked upon the sea towards the disciples because the wind was blowing.”

“But the disciples thought he was a spirit. They were so afraid. So Jesus told them not to be afraid that he was the one.”

I stopped as I looked back at Sapphire.

All her attention was fixed on me.

“Sapphire, why do you think Jesus was able to walk on a large amount of water like that?”

“Momma, Jesus is powerful now. He made the water so he knows the water will obey him.” She said as she smiled.

“Good girl. So as I was saying, Peter then told Jesus to tell him to come; Jesus granted him his request and told him to come. So he came out of the big boat and was walking to Jesus.”

“Ha! Mummy, Peter will drown in the water now, the water may not obey him.” She said with pity looking at the picture before her slightly.

I smiled.

“No, he didn’t because Jesus was the one that told him to come.”

She looked back at me excited.

“Okay, he knows that Jesus will not let him drown?”

She asked dashing her eyelids at me.

“Yes… But as Peter was going he looked at the wind, he was now afraid and he began to sink. He began to enter the water.”

“Momma, what did Jesus now do?” She stared at me eager for an answer.

“Well, Peter knew he was in trouble and he cried “Jesus, save me.”

“Did Jesus answer?”

“Jesus …” I began when;

Knock! Knock!

“Well, looks like Daddy is back.” I said to her as I left the kitchen.

“I’m Coming.” I called out as I walked towards the sitting room.

She trotted after me happily.

“Welcome sweetheart.” I said as I opened the door for my husband.

“Oh, Good evening darling. How was your day?” he replied as he drew me in for a hug and a brief peck. Behind me Sapphire struggled to reach him.

“Daddy, me too.” she shouted out as I collected his suitcase and moved away to let the two of them catch up.

“My princess, how are you?”

“Fine. Daddy, how are you ?”

“I’m fine but I’m terribly hungry.” he said as he sat down on the Sofa with Sapphire in his arms.

“Let me get back to the kitchen. Sapphire had my attention for sometime today but your meal should be ready in some minutes.” I said quickly as I hurried back to the kitchen.

“Momma, what happened to Peter?” she called after me.

“Ask Daddy.” I shouted back.

“What’s that?” I heard him ask her as she did her own summary of what I had told her.

I smiled!

She was a good listener.

“So Daddy, did Jesus save Peter?”

“Yes! Jesus stretched his hand and caught him. But Jesus corrected him that he was beginning to doubt him. His trust in God wavered at that point.”

“Wavered?” she said.

“OK, I mean his trust in God was not strong at that time.”

“Daddy, you like Big English. Mummy use small English.”
She said laughing.

“That is why she is Mummy and I am Daddy. Okay, so what did you learn?”

“I should trust Jesus. Jesus cannot lie like Peter said he did not know Jesus. If Jesus knows me, he will say he knows me and he will help me.”

“That’s my princess, clap for yourself.” he said as she clapped her hands.

“Sapphire, come and give me a hand.” I called out as I cleaned some dishes to give her.

“Take this to the Dining Table.”
I said as soon as she arrived and handed her some empty plates.

She walked off singing.

“Be careful!” I shouted after her as my husband entered the Kitchen.

“Darling, I’m famished.”

“I’m sorry. I just have to dish the meal.”

“Well-done.” he said as he looked around the kitchen.

“Thank you.” I replied smiling.

“Are we needing this?” he asked pointing to a covered dish on the Kitchen Table.

“Yes please.” I replied as he carried it and walked towards the dining room.

In minutes the meal was served and we all settled down to eat.

“Daddy… Let me pray.”

“Okay Sapphire.. Remember I’m hungry so go straight to the point.” My husband said.

“You can talk to God about your friends later, OK.” he added quickly.

“Hmm. OK.” she replied as we closed our eyes.

“In Jesus name, thank you Jesus for bringing Daddy back safely. Thank you for this food. Bless this food for us in Jesus name. Daddy said I should not pray for my friends now but Jesus you know that Bimpe may not have food to eat at home because her Mommy is sick and she told me her Daddy said there is no money. Please provide food for Bimpe too. In Jesus name we have prayed.”

“Amen.” we replied.

“Daddy, sorry. I had to pray for Bimpe.”

“Sapphire, it’s alright. You just made God happy you know.”

“Really?” she asked blushing.

“Yes dear. Now eat your food.” he replied as I looked at father and daughter.

“Thanks sweetheart.” he said with a broad smile on his face.

“You are welcome.” I said as I started eating.

“Not for the food. I mean I’m thankful for the meal but I’m saying thank you for our daughter.” he said as he held my hand.

I blushed!

“Well…” I replied looking at Sapphire as she ate her food.

“Those moments of your labour was not in vain. Yeah, I know we still have a lot to do for her but the seed of the Word has been planted in her and I pray nothing will take the love of God from her heart in Jesus name.”

“Amen. The Lord has been faithful. It has been worth it actually.”

“Yes.” he replied as he started his meal.

“Daddy, I want to go for the Children outreach in the Church but Mrs Anabelle said I’m too little and that I will be crying. Please help me tell her I will not cry. I want to listen to Pastor “Kumsuyi”.”

We laughed.

“His name is not Pastor Kumsuyi but Pastor Kumuyi.” her father corrected.

“Okay but tell her. You hear? ”

“I will but don’t you use to sleep when Pastor is preaching?” I asked.

“Pastor use big English like Daddy.” she stopped then shook her head. “No, more than Daddy; so I fall asleep later but I love how he do open the Bible and preach.

“Mummy use to write very well when he is preaching. I want to be preaching too when I am big like you.” She smiled.

“But Mummy, you said Samuel preach when he was small. Daddy, I want to preach. You hear? I want to preach. ”

“Sapphire, don’t worry. You will be an instrument in God’s hands in Jesus name.” Her father replied.

“Amen. But Daddy what is instrument?”

“Sweetheart, you’ll understand OK.” he laughed.

“OK Daddy.”

I smiled at my husband.

Yes! Children are the Heritage of the Lord but begin to sow the seed of the Word in them at a tender age before it is too late.

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Hello Readers, how about we learn more about our four year old little friend.

Let us find out what her Lord has in store for her.

How will Sapphire handle it when she begins to experience some things that are too vast for her tender mind?

How will her parents accept the fact that their daughter is indeed a wonder?

Watch out for SAPPHIRE II.