Like a Child

Having friends with kids has been great in many ways. First, I can love them and play with them but give them back when they are up at night - an added bonus seeing as how I love to sleep but don't do very well with it myself - but more importantly, they teach me. I have two little two year old friends in my life who consistently teach me and remind me of valuable lessons. They consistently manage to make my day and warm my heart.

It was time for another lesson this past Sunday. Our music team was at church bright and early to warm up, set up and practice for the morning's service which means that I had my place at the front behind my keyboard. It's a fun place to be in the morning as I get to see the work that goes on by the community as we set up - the joy of portable church - and get to watch people arrive all morning. My friends Fred and Tasha arrived with their little ones. I saw them come in but then sort of "lost track" of them as they went about their morning stuff. Samantha, their two year old, and Fred came into the gym where we were shortly after. Samantha looked a little lost but still intent on finding someone. Apparently she was on a search for her friend Madalyn. Anyway, here's where the beauty part for me came in...still makes me smile...Samantha caught sight of me from across they gym, pointed at me, called out my name and came running all the way around until we met for a great big hug. Seriously, how great is that!?

Later that afternoon, as I was thinking about my little friend and how loved she made me feel, one thought struck me: "come unto me like a little child." I thought about how excited and trusting Samantha was, how she stopped what she was doing to come to me. I remembered how loved I felt and how I, too, had stopped what I was doing to scoop her up in my arms and love her too. I thought about my relationship with Jesus. He wants me to come to him like Samantha came to me and I can rest assured that he'll respond to me with more love and more care. I think about the times that I do come to him like that. Does he relish those moments the same way that I delighted in that Samantha hug? Is He thrilled when I call out His name?

We're walking through the Bible in this series we're doing at Journey. Sunday started a week of looking at Genesis. As promised, the Word of God is living and active and, though I've read it before, something struck me again, or perhaps for the first time. After Adam and Eve have eaten the fruit, realized they were naked and hid, God calls out to them, "Where are you?" You can't tell me that He didn't know where they were. Of course He knew. It's all part of God's great pursuit of man and the unfortunate thing about choice. They have the choice of coming back to Him, of answering His call, of coming out of hiding. They can choose to drop what they're doing, and approach them even though they know they are guilty and shameful.

They can choose to cry out His name and run towards Him with abandon.

So what am I waiting for?

What is it that gets in the way of me dropping what I'm doing and running into His waiting arms like Samantha did to me?

What 'hiding' is God calling me out of?

What part of my life needs to be surrendered in new ways?

What's keeping me from just dropping into his arms and being surrounded by His love?

Do I really trust Him with everything, enough to approach Him as I am and trust that He will meet me?

Samantha trusted me and I know myself. If she can trust me, is it not more likely that I can trust Him?