“Mommmmaaaaa!!!” There is terror in his voice.
I jump up and stumble towards the door bashing my thigh into the footboard of our bed. I put my hands on the doorframe to steady myself and open my eyes for the first time.
Thunder is crashing outside, and the wind is shrieking.
MOOOOmmmmaaa!! He is crying now. Momma……….. Mommmaaaa!!!
“I’m coming, baby! I hear you! Mommy’s coming!” I shout back as I make my way across the house towards his bedroom.
I scoop him up into my arms and hold him close. “It’s okay. I’m here. Mommy’s here. You’re okay.”
I can feel his tense frame give a little as he settles into me. It doesn’t matter that the storm is louder than ever… his momma is holding him, and everything is going to be alright.
When Love runs…
I thought I knew God. I thought I understood His words… and I did. I do… But it wasn’t until I became a parent that I learned the why behind the how. Yes, I knew what to expect from God. I recognized His character and understood how He acts. But when I became a parent, I was able to fully understand what motives His actions.
Love.
The night of the storm, it didn’t matter why my son was calling my name. He was crying for me, and so I ran.
It wasn’t because he called out to me in just the right way. He didn’t say all of the right words or remind me, “Momma! I am your son! You should come help me!” I couldn’t imagine him saying, “Momma! I was so good today! Will you please come!” He didn’t sheepishly tell me, “Momma… I don’t deserve it… but if you could find it in yourself to come and hold me, I sure would appreciate it…” That would be ridiculous.
But, that is exactly what we do when we cry out to our Heavenly Father… isn’t it? We convince ourselves that we need to say all of the right words… Or we feel like we need to give Him a list of the reasons why He should come based on our actions… But He shakes His head at all of it.
We are missing the point. We are missing one of the greatest truths of who He is…
God doesn’t respond to us because of anything we do or don’t do. He doesn’t come because of anything we are or aren’t. He doesn’t answer because we do or do not deserve it.
God responds when we call because He LOVES us.
We are the objects of His affections. There is nothing that we could ever do to earn His Love. There is nothing that we could ever do to lose it.
He will always Love us… because it is who He is!
The revelation of consuming unearned love is enough to change lives… Because when we believe that God loves us… when we truly understand that it is His Love that motivates His every action towards us… we will be unstoppable.
Oh to be like my son… Where in the moments of fear and terror all I know to do is call out His name. JESUS!
And know that Love will run. He will run just because we say His name. He will hold us close and though the storm of life seems louder than ever, we will find rest in His presence…
Can you hear Him right where you are, friends? Can you hear the words of Love respond to the cries of your heart? It is the voice of the Father saying, “It’s okay, daughter… son… I hear you. I am here. I am with you. Find rest in me. Find peace in me. Let my Love surround you. You are going to be okay.”
Because that is who He is… He is Love…. and for you… He will always run.
“Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.” – Isaiah 65:24
