On a tall tall cliff

For those of you who don't know, presently 2 days a week I'm working as an assistant at a preschool. Childcare is full on work, but kids can be incredible to work with and can teach you tons and tons about anything and everything. My friend Georgie says that kids are just little people who haven't learnt to act as though they aren't selfish yet.

Plus how could anyone be unhappy while cutting squares of coloured papaer into tiny pieces?

But today I read a book called 'On a tall tall cliff' which trumped even that. The story is about two friends, Puffle and Busby who live on the edge of a tall tall cliff. One day Puffle approaches Busby and asks him if he can borrow some things out of his garden, actually the entirity of his garden, including the plants. The story continues as Puffle asks Busby to 'lend' him everything he owns, from each section of his house, until nothing is left. After each request an illusive but insistant Puffle pronounces 'I know it's a lot to ask, but it will REALLY help'.

Just after Busby has given his entire house over the edge of the cliff collapses and where his house stood falls into the sea below. Puffle turns around and says 'See Busby, I've been studying our cliff for some time now and I knew what would happen- you have really helped Busby, you've really helped me to help you.'

The message is profoundly simple, but it still took me completely by surprise the first time I read it. See God doesn't ask us for everything for himself- he asks it so that we might be saved and grow in him.