Open.
Today I was thinking about how much pain I am feeling as I hear my niece laughing in the other room, without a care in the world, not worried about when or what she will eat next, what her day is going to look like, what others may think of her, what she has to get done, whether or not she will have enough for the bills. And I almost envy her. Envy kids in general really. I start to think about all we face as grown-ups and the way we view the world and our everyday life vs how a child may perceive it and the little they have to face in comparison. Now don't get me wrong, I really am not trying to generalize here, I realize that there are exceptions and children who face far more than they ever should at their age. It's heartbreaking really. But still this really got me thinking and I couldn't help but to find myself wishing I was a little girl again. Without a worry. And it's just then I realize something I strongly felt God trying to reveal to me; that is how we should all feel. Without a worry, like a child allll the time, at all ages. For that is what we are, exactly that, children of God. And He is taking care of us. He is making sure that we can have joy, that we will have food to eat, and a place to live. He is making sure that we will be okay. We don't have to worry. We can rest; for our future, our today is in His hands. For crying out loud what could possibly be better than this? We are not just any children, we are children of the God Almighty. And you know what's even better about being children of God? Unlike our earthly fathers, He is a good, good Father. A faithful, powerful, loving God who will never fail nor forsake us. And if we didn't have the best example of a loving father here on earth, no matter what the circumstances may be between ourselves and our fathers, we still have God, we can trust He will never leave, that He will always do what is best for us. Even if we didn't have the best childhood, we can do it over with our Heavenly Father; the way it should of always been. We can still be children, in fact He invites us to embrace the child within us. No worries, no cares, just an unexplainable joy and beautiful perspective on life. And if ever we find ourselves consumed by our everyday life, I hope we can stop and remind ourselves who our Father truly is, accepting the invitation to be children at all ages and stages of our life.
Now my niece is sobbing, probably over something super small. I work with kids, and sometimes the reasons behind the tears seem a little ridiculous to me. Whether it's over a fight they had with one of their classmates or because they're worried their parents forgot about them. A homework problem they can't seem to understand or solve, or that they will get hurt doing something we all know is safe. At the end of the day I know that what they are fighting over has an easy fix, that their parents are coming, they're just running a little late. That they don't have to solve the problem themselves, we're there to help. That they are safe for we are at an arms length away ready to pick them right up if they fall. Sometimes I think that's how God views our "problems", the reasons for which we cry. He's crying out to us that it's okay, that there is a fix, that it all happens for a reason. That we don't have to solve the problem on our own, He is there to help, and that He is right there with us ready to pick us up, that in the end, it will all make sense and it will all be more than okay. In a hundred years from now none of it will matter. And that's not to say He doesn't feel for us. I feel for the kids. I understand that to them that is the BIGGEST worry, to them it is the crushing of their tiny little hearts. Or should I say big, sometimes I feel like they have bigger hearts than even us grown-ups do. But that's a story for another day. As I was saying, God understands that to us life is heartbreaking. He himself faced everything we face on an everyday basis and so much more, so much worse. When the kids cry I do my best to comfort them, show them the way out of the problem, walk them through it, step by step, hand in hand, letting them know it will be okay. I reach out. When I hear a child crying because they fell after I told them many times not to run inside, I don't ignore them and walk the other way yelling "I told you this would happen!" No, of course not. I hear cries and I run straight to them. I help them, I make sure they are okay. I still of course explain to them that is what can happen when they do not follow the rules. I explain how I'm not trying to be a party pooper but that I am simply trying to keep them safe. I prohibit certain things due to the fact that I love them and I want to keep them from experiencing pain. I'm not saying "don't run inside" because I don't want them to experience fun, I'm saying don't run inside because I love them and I don't want them to fall and hurt themselves. I am not saying "get your homework done before you play" because I want to torture them, but because I don't wish for them to have to face the consequences of not getting it done, I don't want them to get into trouble with their parents or their teachers. In that same way, God runs to us, helps us up, but reminds us that disobedience has consequences. Our "problems" really can be the biggest thing to us, and God realizes this, and even though He knows there is a fix and that it will be okay, still He understands, He doesn't make less of our pain but He wants nothing more but to help us. And yes, even when we were the ones who got ourselves into our own mess, even after He warned us not to. Even then, He's there to help. Question is, will you let Him do so?
...
Isn't it crazy? It all points to God. Everything. Even the smallest interactions. They're all around us you know? Signs and details pointing to our Heavenly Father and His love, His nature. If only we would just open.. open our ears, eyes and heart. It's so beautiful, the way He's made it all work. I find myself continually overwhelmed with so much awe..
Now my niece is sobbing, probably over something super small. I work with kids, and sometimes the reasons behind the tears seem a little ridiculous to me. Whether it's over a fight they had with one of their classmates or because they're worried their parents forgot about them. A homework problem they can't seem to understand or solve, or that they will get hurt doing something we all know is safe. At the end of the day I know that what they are fighting over has an easy fix, that their parents are coming, they're just running a little late. That they don't have to solve the problem themselves, we're there to help. That they are safe for we are at an arms length away ready to pick them right up if they fall. Sometimes I think that's how God views our "problems", the reasons for which we cry. He's crying out to us that it's okay, that there is a fix, that it all happens for a reason. That we don't have to solve the problem on our own, He is there to help, and that He is right there with us ready to pick us up, that in the end, it will all make sense and it will all be more than okay. In a hundred years from now none of it will matter. And that's not to say He doesn't feel for us. I feel for the kids. I understand that to them that is the BIGGEST worry, to them it is the crushing of their tiny little hearts. Or should I say big, sometimes I feel like they have bigger hearts than even us grown-ups do. But that's a story for another day. As I was saying, God understands that to us life is heartbreaking. He himself faced everything we face on an everyday basis and so much more, so much worse. When the kids cry I do my best to comfort them, show them the way out of the problem, walk them through it, step by step, hand in hand, letting them know it will be okay. I reach out. When I hear a child crying because they fell after I told them many times not to run inside, I don't ignore them and walk the other way yelling "I told you this would happen!" No, of course not. I hear cries and I run straight to them. I help them, I make sure they are okay. I still of course explain to them that is what can happen when they do not follow the rules. I explain how I'm not trying to be a party pooper but that I am simply trying to keep them safe. I prohibit certain things due to the fact that I love them and I want to keep them from experiencing pain. I'm not saying "don't run inside" because I don't want them to experience fun, I'm saying don't run inside because I love them and I don't want them to fall and hurt themselves. I am not saying "get your homework done before you play" because I want to torture them, but because I don't wish for them to have to face the consequences of not getting it done, I don't want them to get into trouble with their parents or their teachers. In that same way, God runs to us, helps us up, but reminds us that disobedience has consequences. Our "problems" really can be the biggest thing to us, and God realizes this, and even though He knows there is a fix and that it will be okay, still He understands, He doesn't make less of our pain but He wants nothing more but to help us. And yes, even when we were the ones who got ourselves into our own mess, even after He warned us not to. Even then, He's there to help. Question is, will you let Him do so?
...
Isn't it crazy? It all points to God. Everything. Even the smallest interactions. They're all around us you know? Signs and details pointing to our Heavenly Father and His love, His nature. If only we would just open.. open our ears, eyes and heart. It's so beautiful, the way He's made it all work. I find myself continually overwhelmed with so much awe..
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