“It Duddn’t Maddah”
“So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father know that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:31-34
A few years ago I met a little boy whose smile could light up the darkest room. In the first few minutes of knowing him, he asked me and then two other people if we knew Jesus. Maybe that doesn’t seem terribly remarkable but at the time that boy was ten years old and he has Down syndrome. Still upon meeting a new person his first thought was to ask about Jesus.
In the years we spent together I tried to make sure that somewhere on my person I had a necklace, earrings or a pin that was a cross because each day he would look me over, searching for one. His eyes would light up and he would say, “Oh, it’s my Lord!” His mind may not be terribly sharp but his spirit is as bright as all the stars in the sky combined. Unfortunately he also had a naughty streak. His behavior often caused him to be miss out on treats and/or special events. Thank God there were other people around to discipline him. Left to my own devices I may have spoiled him way past rotten! In any case as he would realize that he was once again being left out he would come to me and say, “It duddn’t maddah.” My heart would just crack. He never threw a tantrum nor demanded the reward. He simply took the consequences.
Once on a particularly hard day he could see that I was upset. He put his arms around me and said, “It duddn’t maddah.” Then it didn’t. His little face with the crooked grin, his love of his Lord and his sweet presence reminded me of what does matter.
Many of my colleagues and I have picked up that expression. We quote our little angel when things get stressful or just irritating. One of us will look at the other and say, “It duddun’t maddah.” It is very precious especially since he has moved on to another school so we never see him anymore. He left us a little gift, a reminder of what is important and what is not.
The other day I heard a sermon that used the same words although spoken more clearly. It doesn’t matter. The situation may look bleak. It may even seem hopeless but then God shows up, and guess what? “It duddn’t maddah.” It doesn’t matter how supposedly terminal the illness, how deep the financial hole, how empty the life or how debilitating the depression. All of that changes when God is invited in. When the power that created light, life and everything else shows up nothing else matters. Even if the situation appears to remain the same the presence of the Lord causes changes that our eyes cannot always see. It is that peace that we can never quite understand.
The next time the enemy attacks you on any front, just look him in the eye and tell him, “It duddn’t maddah.”
In the years we spent together I tried to make sure that somewhere on my person I had a necklace, earrings or a pin that was a cross because each day he would look me over, searching for one. His eyes would light up and he would say, “Oh, it’s my Lord!” His mind may not be terribly sharp but his spirit is as bright as all the stars in the sky combined. Unfortunately he also had a naughty streak. His behavior often caused him to be miss out on treats and/or special events. Thank God there were other people around to discipline him. Left to my own devices I may have spoiled him way past rotten! In any case as he would realize that he was once again being left out he would come to me and say, “It duddn’t maddah.” My heart would just crack. He never threw a tantrum nor demanded the reward. He simply took the consequences.
Once on a particularly hard day he could see that I was upset. He put his arms around me and said, “It duddn’t maddah.” Then it didn’t. His little face with the crooked grin, his love of his Lord and his sweet presence reminded me of what does matter.
Many of my colleagues and I have picked up that expression. We quote our little angel when things get stressful or just irritating. One of us will look at the other and say, “It duddun’t maddah.” It is very precious especially since he has moved on to another school so we never see him anymore. He left us a little gift, a reminder of what is important and what is not.
The other day I heard a sermon that used the same words although spoken more clearly. It doesn’t matter. The situation may look bleak. It may even seem hopeless but then God shows up, and guess what? “It duddn’t maddah.” It doesn’t matter how supposedly terminal the illness, how deep the financial hole, how empty the life or how debilitating the depression. All of that changes when God is invited in. When the power that created light, life and everything else shows up nothing else matters. Even if the situation appears to remain the same the presence of the Lord causes changes that our eyes cannot always see. It is that peace that we can never quite understand.
The next time the enemy attacks you on any front, just look him in the eye and tell him, “It duddn’t maddah.”
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