When my girls were young they would ask me to tell this story to them over and over and over again – night after night – as I tucked them in bed. I called it the “I’d Choose You” story and years after I started telling them this we found a book by the same title … But I’ll tell more about that story later.

I can’t imagine any young (or old) child, boy or girl, who wouldn’t fall asleep feeling loved after hearing a story like this from a mom or dad. So here goes, as best as I can remember it but you’ll have to embellish and throw in your own “thoughts” as you go along – you’ll see what Imean.

If God ever gave me the choice again to choose a little girl for my daughter guess what, Sylvie? I’d choose you. Even if He lined up all the little 3 year old girls all in a loooooong line and we started at the front I’d say, “Lord, I just want Sylvie”. Then maybe He would walk along with me down the line and choose another little girl and say “How about this one Mom. She’s well behaved and keeps her room really really clean? Don’t you want her?” And I would say, “No, thank you. She’s beautiful and I’m sure her room looks nice, but I really want my Sylvie. Can we please find Sylvie?” And we’d walk a little bit further and He would say, “What about this one, Mom.  She’s quiet and always says please and thank you without you asking her and she’s never spilled her milk…“

You get the idea – fill in your own situations where maybe your little one thinks she might have disappointed you, etc. I would go through maybe 3 to 5 “other options” of children depending on how much past their bedtime it was :-). And then the story would end something like this:

And then I’d see the line was really long still but then I’d see you, Waaaaaay down there, my Sylvie. And I’d say “I see Sylvie!” and I would run and run and run yelling “There’s my Sylvie. Yay… I’m going to get Sylvie”.  And I’d keep running until I got right up to you, Sylvie. And I’d give you a big hug and a big kiss and another SUPER BIG hug and kiss and turn to the Lord and say “THIS is the little girl I want in my house. Sylvie.” And He might say “Sylvie is a wonderful girl but you do know that she might have to be reminded to say please and thank you sometimes? And occasionally she spills her milk all over the table, and…“

Again, you get the idea here right?

And Mom would say to the Lord, “I know, Lord. But this is MY Sylvie and no matter what she does or how she acts or how naughty she might be sometimes, I know YOU created her just for ME and our family and I love her the most of all. Can I take her home now?” And of course, God would say “Naturally. I knew that all along.” And we would hold hands all the way home. I would ALWAYS choose you Sylvie.