There is something
innocent about a child.
In today’s world, that
innocence is quickly being swept away.
Yet God is still teaching
the world of His love, through His young children. After all, scripture talks about how the
Kingdom of Heaven belongs to these. God
is still teaching us to TRUST in Him
especially when we are struggling to ‘stay above the surface’. I love it when God teaches me through these
moments, when He shows just how much He loves me through His young
children.
Today I would like to
share a story with you. It comes from
the very heart of my soul and it involves one of my special kids from Zambia. This 8 year old child, taught me about trust
in a very real, very practical way. Simply put, she opened my eyes to how God’s
heart leaps with joy when we come running into the arms of our Maker.
Truth be told, I do not
know why this kid decided to ‘take’ to me, but she did and I am so very
thankful for it. I remember meeting
her. She came up to me and introduced
herself as “Amy” (*Name changed) in a very matter of fact, “grown up” type
way. As I had done with the previous 30
kids who told me their names, I simply smiled and nodded and moved on to the
next one. The next day, Amy comes back
up to me and asks if I remembered her name.
Sheepishly, I had to tell her that, “I did not remember,” and I had to ask
if she could ‘remind me’ of it. Instantly,
her hands went to her hips and her foot started tapping the ground. She said, in a very stern voice, “Its AMY and do not go forgetting it!” ‘OK’, I remember thinking to myself, “message
received loud and clear. This is a
child’s name that I will not be
forgetting again”.
As the days carried
on, I started to discover that I had a little shadow following me as I ventured
throughout my daily routine. This
‘shadow’ started to appear in selfies (yes, shameless selfies) with the kids
more and more. I do not remember the
exact day our routine began, but the lesson(s) learned from it remain ever so
close to my heart
I was outside and my arms
were full of miscellaneous items. My
mind was distracted with those back at home when Amy and I made eye
contact. In a matter of seconds, I ‘jumped
back’ to the reality of where I was just in time to see this 8 year old running
full tilt towards me. Her arms were wide
open and I instantly knew she was going to jump into my arms for a hug. I quickly realized that I had 2 options, one
of which I needed to make in a matter of seconds. I could either; #1 sidestep her and watch her jump and fall to
the ground or #2 drop what I was holding and catch her. I voted for the second option. Seconds later, I had a child in my arms and
two little arms tightly squeezing my neck, wrapping me up in one of the
longest, biggest hugs I have ever had. I
heard the words whisper ever so softly into my ear, “thank you for catching me”
and just as quick as she was in my arms, she was out of them and running off to
play with friends. This became a daily
(sometimes multiple times a day) routine between her and I. In fact, I found myself ‘craving’ this
special moment each day and it is something I miss immensely about being at
Grace Academy.
I love it when God makes
biblical stories ‘come to life’. In this
case, I was reminded of the story Jesus told about the Prodigal Son. Only, it wasn’t the son running into the
father’s arms. It was the father
running, arms opened, towards the son.
The father didn’t care what the son had done. He was just overflowing with joy that his
lost son, had returned home. The father
goes on to throw one of the greatest feasts ever in celebration that his lost
son, had come home.
Through Amy; God showed
me a little more of who HE is and how He may feel when we, His adoptive children,
come running, leaping and bounding into His arms. I know the anticipation I felt and the joy
that consumed my inner most being each and every time she leaped into my
arms. Surely the God “who created me in
my inmost being and who knit me together in my mother’s womb” (Psalm 139),
leaps even greater than my own when we come running back to His arms. Perhaps
that’s a small taste of what God feels when we
return to His arms.
God loves me. For me.
Not because of what I have done, or because of what I will do but simply
for the reason that I am His daughter. I am made in His image. I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
So I will hold on to that
promise. It doesn’t mean that life will
always be ‘perfect’ (goodness knows that’s a lie) but what it does mean, is
that I choose to run into His arms
and surround myself in His presence. I choose, despite the
situations/circumstances around me, to believe that God is GOOD. I choose to cling to my Maker.
I choose to whisper into my Father’s ears,
“Thank YOU for always catching me”
