I watched her dance along the shoreline, reveling in the sand and the gentle breakers. She twirled and pirouetted, a charming picture on a grayish day. I smiled as her pink shirt fluttered and her hair streamed out behind her. Her mother sat on the rocks nearby, taking an occasional video of her daughter. Once or twice the girl ran to her with a question, but mostly the two did not interact.
To the casual beachgoer, it may not have even been evident they had any connection as mother and daughter, but just happened to be occupying the same stretch of sand. I was a little upset. I thought the mother could be taking this chance to connect with her daughter, and here she was, hardly acknowledging her daughter's presence.
I think I sometimes believe God is like this mother, only there for me to run to once in a while. He isn't an active participant in my life, but a distant being. He cares about hunger and famine, but He doesn't care so much when I forget to keep a promise or cry over a broken heirloom.
The truth is so much better. The God we serve is active in our daily lives. He runs with us down the sandy beach, He pulls us back when a rogue wave would dash us to the ground. Should a crab latch onto a toe, there is no need to run to Him, for He has been walking with me all along. We need not fear the waves that sometime billow. He knows every hair of my head (Matthew 10:29-31). He is with us (Genesis 28:10) and will not leave us. Our God is not a parent that merely observes His children, but an active participant in every aspect of our daily lives.
I think I sometimes believe God is like this mother, only there for me to run to once in a while. He isn't an active participant in my life, but a distant being. He cares about hunger and famine, but He doesn't care so much when I forget to keep a promise or cry over a broken heirloom.
The truth is so much better. The God we serve is active in our daily lives. He runs with us down the sandy beach, He pulls us back when a rogue wave would dash us to the ground. Should a crab latch onto a toe, there is no need to run to Him, for He has been walking with me all along. We need not fear the waves that sometime billow. He knows every hair of my head (Matthew 10:29-31). He is with us (Genesis 28:10) and will not leave us. Our God is not a parent that merely observes His children, but an active participant in every aspect of our daily lives.
He is there when you crack open heavy eyelids and stretch in the morning. He is there when you spill your coffee on the way out the door and have to go back and change. He rides with you while you dodge potholes and slam on the brakes when you spot a trooper by the roadside. He is there as you try to come up with the perfect response for a challenging message. He understands your disappointment when you have to give up supper plans because of sickness. He is there when you go to bed at night, and He watches as you sleep.
There are days we feel sad and lonely, or times when life doesn't go as we want it to, and we try to shove Him away. He stands at a distance, waiting for us to invite Him back, to share our lives with Him.
Don't wait to invite Him closer! He delights with you in the things that make you smile, and He is willing to listen when you are facing sorrow.
He created life. He created you. He doesn't sit, an absent mother on the rocks. He is beside you, waiting. Take His hand and let Him be a participant in your life. With Him, you need not fear the waves. You need not worry about the pain you may face. You need not feel alone. For He is there, laughing with you as you run along the shore. He's always been there. And you can trust Him not only with today, but with your tomorrows and your forevers. He will be there.
♥️
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