WHEN A CHILD RUNS
‘The name of the Lord is a strong fortress; the godly run to him and are safe.’ Proverbs 18:10
Our daughter Aaliyah turned 7 last month. She’s our oldest girl and literally a gift sent from heaven. She’s incredibly helpful with her younger sister, around the house and just an overall thoughtful human being. She’s amazing.
Like anyone, she’s never perfect. One of the areas she struggles with, is being scared of the dark. Every night when she goes to bed, she turns on all the lights in her room. You’d think it would keep her awake, yet she still sleeps. Then, in the middle of the night, she wakes up and walks upstairs to our room where she makes a bed on the floor next to ours.
That’s her comfort space. It’s where she feels safe. My wife and I aren’t huge fans of having her in our room, however, we know how much it means to her. We know how peaceful it can be for her.
I imagine it like God with us. Yah, Aaliyah is seven years old. She should be sleeping in her own bed, however, she needs mercy and grace during this time.
One of the best parts of parenting is creating life lessons with our kids. As parents, we are the greatest introduction to Jesus for our kids. We emulate Jesus in everything we do. Whether it’s how we speak to each other or how we treat them or how we show kindness when they are scared.
Grace is needed for Aaliyah. She’s scared and therefore, she runs up to our room to sleep. Sounds exactly like this verse to me. While we may be her refuge and hiding place when she is scared, my wife and I run to Jesus when we are.
We also remember that life is short. Soon enough, Aaliyah will grow out of this moment. She will no longer be that small child that is scared. And so, we hold onto these moments with every bit of love that we have. We cherish them just as Jesus cherishes these moments with us.
If we love when our kids run to us — how much more does Jesus love it when we do the same to Him?
Wherever you may be today, whatever you may be feeling, choose to run to Jesus. Take that worry, shame, guilt, fear, anxiety and every difficult emotion to Jesus.
Take the time to be still. Just ponder and rest on these words, “Jesus is my refuge. He is my fortress. He is my peace. He is my joy. He is my kindness. He is my ever present help in time of need.”
Call unto Him, and yes, He will answer. He will whisper beautiful and mysterious things to you and just for you. He’s the best dad in the world. His ears are open to your cries. His time is not limited to spending time with you. Whenever you want to sit with Jesus — just sit.
Think of that picture of a child running to their parent. It could be a joyful run or it could be a fearful run. Whatever the emotion may be today — just reach out. He’s there, willing, wanting and able to do exceedingly abundantly, above all that you can ask, think or dream.
Just writing these thoughts for you inspires me to do the same. Just thinking now about how much God has done for me. What He has saved me from. The opportunities that I have for no other reason but God. Thank you Jesus for making a way for me. Thank you for guiding and teaching me so much every day. Thank you for keeping my heart soft. Thank you that although I’m nearly 40 years old — my heart is soft as a child.
Ahhh, now I’m crying.
Where would I be without you Lord? I have so much to learn, so little time. I’m depending on you to guide me during these days. Feed me the food that you prescribed for me. Bring the right relationships around us, remove the one’s we don’t need.
Calm my soul with your words. Your word guides me and your voice comforts my soul. Thank you.
