Like Willows on a Riverbank

By Cristy Fox

Like Willows on a Riverbank is a collection of short stories and devotionals meant to encourage, uplift, and inspire the reader. It will hit all the right notes and chords, filling your heart and playing its strings like an orchestra.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Sep 25, 2018
• ISBN: 9781973640219

Cristy Fox

Cristy Fox lives in Northern California, and has been married to her husband since 1990. After 25 years of being a stay at home mom, she has decided to pursue her dream of writing. She is the mother of three adult children. Her fourth, and youngest child, will soon be entering high school. Growing up, Cristy was an avid reader, always feeling like she was truly herself when entering in and observing a world unseen. She truly feels it was her love of reading that taught her how to view life from other perspectives and how to be sensitive to the needs and feelings of others. Compassionate, caring and empathetic, Cristy is fascinated with human nature and feels compelled to understand what makes people tick. The Bible is vitally important to Cristy, but it was not always so. Becoming a mother and feeling the imperative need to share the scriptures with her children, Cristy learned to love the Word of God with all of her heart. In her journey to train up her children, the Bible became more than just black and white words on the page; it became an epic and life changing story of undying love, mind boggling sacrifice, relentless grace and a resilient joy so life changing that she can’t help but let it pour from her into every area of her life. It is her fervent hope that this joy is evident in her writing, and that it be infectious to all who read her works.

Book preview

TELL ME ‘BOUT JESUS!

Mark 10:14b-15 He said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’ (NIV)

Deuteronomy 6:7 You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. (NASB)

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Other than the birds chirping happily in the trees above them, the only sound that the mother and daughter could hear was the crunching of their shoes on the gravel road that led them home. The sun shone brightly off of their hair as if a reflection of the warmth and affection the two carried between them. A little hand slipped into a bigger one, a round soft face turned up and smiled into shining eyes that took in her sweet countenance and drank deeply from an eternal well of love.

Tell me ‘bout Jesus, Mommy, the daughter’s sweet, chirpy voice said.

Ok, Honey, I will tell you everything I know.

One day, way up in Heaven, God decided he wanted to make some very special people. He knew He would need a very special place for them to live, so He made the Earth. He made everything we see. He made the plants, animals, clouds, rocks and dirt. Then something wonderful happened. Do you know what that was?

No Mommy, what?

Stopping to bend down to her daughter’s level, the mother took a handful of fresh soil in her free hand. First, she held it out palm up for her daughter to see, and then closed her hand around it, squeezing it into a mound. "God bent way down to earth and scooped up a handful of that dirt in His sturdy hands. He spent a lot of time pushing it and rubbing it and squeezing it, just like you like to do with your soft clay, remember?’

Yeah! I like making things with clay!

Smiling into the little face so like her own, her mother dropped the soil and rubbed her hand against her pant leg. She reached up and cupped her daughter’s face in her hand, the scent of the rich, black soil filling both of their nostrils. And God liked making man out of the dust from the ground. He shaped this man to be just right and then He blew life into him by breathing into his mouth and nose. He named the man Adam.

Standing again to full height and continuing their journey home hand in hand, she continued speaking; her voice set to match the cadence of the slow crunching of their shoes. God put Adam in charge of all the plants and animals. He even gave him the job of naming them. At first Adam had a great time naming all those animals, from the giant elephants to the tiniest ants, but soon he became very lonely and sad. God saw that Adam needed a partner to keep him company, and to laugh with him at the silly names he’d given to some animals.

Giggling, the little one beside her said, Yeah! Like the duckbill-platypus! We learned about them in my library book, right mama? They look so silly!

Smiling brightly, her mama agreed, Yes. Just like that. Can you imagine how much fun it was to come up with all those names and have no one to cheer with or laugh with or even just get a thumbs up from?

Adam was awfully lonely, so God touched him and he fell into a deep sleep. Oh so carefully, God reached way inside of Adam, and took a bone from his chest. Her voice lowered to an exaggerated whisper. He took another scoop of dust and slowly and gingerly, molded and shaped someone so different from Adam, but also, a lot like him. When God finished, He sat back and smiled! He knew that what He’d made was just perfect for Adam. It was his wife, and her name was Eve.

Yay! A wife! I like girls, don’t you, mama? said the girl as she skipped along quite clumsily.

I certainly do! said the mother. I like being a girl and having a girl very much. Adam was also glad to have a girl made just for him as well.

"Things were wonderful for a while. Adam and Eve walked and talked with God every day! They had wonderful playmates in the animals and ate lots of super yummy fruit from the trees God made. They had only one rule; they could not eat from one tree in the garden. God told them, ‘You may eat of any tree in this garden, except this one. It is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, do NOT eat of its fruit! If you do, you will die.’

Even though they had everything they could ever want, it was hard not to eat from the one forbidden tree. One day, Eve was walking alone and a snake who was really Satan, told her God was lying to her when He told her she would die if she ate the fruit. Doubt crawled up Eve’s spine faster than the snake slithered at her feet in the grass; she believed the lie and ate from the tree; Adam also ate. Do you know what that act is? That is disobedience. Do you remember what that’s called; when we disobey God?"

Sin, Mama, Said the now sober and serious child, with big wide eyes. She had stopped skipping and was once again walking alongside her mother.

That’s right, baby… sin, she said sadly. Because Adam and Eve sinned, they died a spiritual death that day. That means they could no longer be with God the way they had been. Sin separated them from God. We all are sinners. We were born with sin, we live with sin, and it makes God’s heart so sad. Pausing to look down at her daughter, the mother asked. Are you tired of this now, Little One? Do you want to hear the rest of the story?

Oh, yes, Mommy! Don’t stop! Tell me ‘bout Jesus now!

She gave the diminutive hand tucked inside her own a gentle squeeze and cooed, How I love you, my sweet girl! Ok. Let’s keep going then! And, their journey continued. "It broke God’s heart that people chose sin. Sin is so ugly to God that He can’t even look at it. He made people to love Him and for Him to love them back. He wanted to walk and talk to us, but because of sin, relationship with Him couldn’t continue the way He wanted it to, and that made Him so very sad.

The bible tells us that Jesus was up in Heaven with God at the creation of the world. He saw how sad God was that people chose sin. He saw how sad people were to be apart from God. It made His heart sad too. He loved God and people so much that He wanted to fix their disobedience and clean up their sin. He took his glorious crown off of His head and laid it on the seat of His throne. I imagine He got on His knees in front of God and told Him that HE would go to Earth. I can just hear Jesus tell God, ‘I see how much You love them. I see how much it hurts You to watch them stumble around down there apart from you. I see how it hurts them to need you so much. I want to cover their sin and take it away so they can walk and talk with You again. Send Me, Father, I will go, I will take their place. I will make it right.’

Can’t you just see God slowly put His awesome hand to Jesus’ face? ‘You would go?’ I imagine Him asking with tears glistening in His eyes.

‘Yes, Father, I will go!’ I imagine Jesus whispering.

‘That was My plan all along, Son. I will send you. I am pleased.’"

Feeling a tugging against her arm, the mother looked down to see her child had tripped and stumbled. OH no! Are you alright, sweet one? Bending to reach her child, she fussed gently, Let me help you up. Oh, this isn’t too bad, not even a snag on the knee of your jeans. We’ll just brush that dust off and you’re as good as new! Catching a tear from the end of the nose of her daughter, the mother said, It’s ok if you are tired and ready to talk about something else. We can finish this later, my love.

Sniffing loudly and wiping her nose across the length of her pudgy arm, the little girl protested earnestly, No, Mommy! Keep telling me ‘bout Jesus!

Right. Well, let’s see, where were we? Standing and clearing her throat once more, the mother continued on, and so did their walk. OOOH, yes! Christmas!

YAY! Christmas! the little one crowed loudly.

Smiling down, Yay is right! her mother affirmed with a wink.

"One starry night a baby was born in a stable full of hay and sheep and even a few cows, I think. It was Jesus, born to fix people’s sin! He was obedient to God all the days He lived.

The bible says, ‘and Jesus grew in wisdom and stature (that means big and strong), and in favor with God and man’. That’s pretty amazing, isn’t it? He was so kind and wise that people wanted to be with Him and go where He was going.

Anyway, when He was a grownup, He walked all over, from town to town to tell people how much God loved them. He told them the only way to God was through Him. Many people believed Him, and they followed Him. Many people were jealous of Him and planned to do a horrible thing to Him.

They lied about what He did. They spit on Him and beat Him. They tore His beard from His face. They mocked and made fun of Him. They put a heavy crown of long thorns on His head and teased, ‘What kind of king are you?’ They made Him carry a huge wooden cross. It was so heavy, His legs gave way and He fell down. They refused to help Him up. They shoved at Him and yelled at Him. Then they took His hand and stretched it out onto the cross. They drove a big nail into it and did the same to the other hand and his feet too. They kept teasing Him and yelling at Him to save Himself if He was really the Son of God.

What did He do? Did He save Himself? Did He yell back at those who hurt Him? No, He just kept quiet. He just kept looking at them, and before He died, He cried out, ‘Father! Forgive them, for they do not understand what they are doing!’

He loved them even when they were killing Him. He died and the whole earth was dark. It broke God’s heart to watch His Son go through all that pain.

Do you know why He did that for people?"

Yes, Mommy; He died on the cross because He loves us and wants to wash our sins away.

That’s right, little one; that is why He died on the cross. His death was what we needed to wash our sins away and make us white as snow. He was perfect and never sinned, but He was glad to take our sin on Himself so we could be right with God. Do you know who He died for? Do you know whose face He saw when He was on that cross?

NO, Mommy, whose face?

Stopping and kneeling to be face to face with her child, the mother’s voice grew tender and low. She reached and cupped the chubby little cheeks in both of her hands and kissed the end of her daughter’s elfin round nose. He saw your face. He saw you, beautiful you, right now, in the middle of time, and He loved you so much! He also saw how much you needed Him to die for you.

Oh.

Tilting her head to one side and smiling tenderly, she whispered to her daughter, He died for me too, and every other person who ever lived and who will ever live on the earth. He died so we could live again, in Heaven, with God! Isn’t that just wonderful?

Eyes closed and head thrown back, feeling the warmth of the sun on her wee face, the girl sighed deeply and said, Oh yes! Just so wonderful! Jesus loves me, mama!

Oh, so, so, so much, baby girl! Even more than daddy and I love you!

Eyes wide and mouth open, Woooow! the bitty girl breathed in awe.

I KNOW! her mother agreed joyfully.

They started their walk again and listened to the birds sing and their feet drum against the ground.

Finally, the mother spoke, "SO, I have a question for you.

Is Jesus still dead?"

"No, mommy! He is risen again!

He lives up in Heaven with God!"

"Oh! Good job! That’s right sweet child. On the third day after He died, his friends