I walked, with daughter in hand, to the door of our church nursery. Immediately, she wiggled from my arms and motioned to go inside. I opened the door and put her down. She wobbled as she walked quickly to the nearest toy.
Lost in the mystery of a small purple teacup, it seemed like she no longer noticed me there. She headed towards the back of the room, finding more colorful toys to play with.
I casually spoke with the nursery volunteers, waiting for the attention to turn back towards me. But it never did — until I turned to leave the room. That’s when she called out to me, with arms stretched wide into the air above her head. I lowered my voice to a whisper and assured her that I would return. As I backed away from that nursery door and rounded the corner, the yelling subsided and she was fine. Still, the moment I returned, she dropped everything in her hands and toddled toward me. And as I lifted her, she latched onto my neck, giving me the biggest hug ever.
That moment was so sweet. And I think it happened because deep down she knows she needs me and wants to know I’m watching over her, looking out for her.
I was reminded of that while I cradled my little girl after a crying fit that kept her up way too late that night. When I walked into her room, I saw the same little out-stretched arms. Only this time, they were wet with tears. So I held her. She closed her eyes. And there, with a tear-dampened cheek on my chest, she found rest.
As I sat staring at the glare from the outside lights make a shadow of window slats on the wall, I thought about God and His children.
I thought about how, at times, we get distracted by everything the world has to offer, only to realize we need our Heavenly Father and feel lost when we feel He’s distant.
I thought about how we call out when we don’t know what to do and just want to know God is still there.
I thought about how we just want Him to meet us when we’re in the dark, in our wilderness, and pull us out.
We long for His action, His answers — knowing we need rest from weary days spent searching for happiness, comfort in our grief and distress, and the guidance and correction to make our paths straight again.
But He never forgets us.
Though we often forget Him, He is always there–to show us more of God the Father and more of the love we need.
We just have to drop everything and run to Him.
