To Be Held

I spent much of last Saturday with my butt on hard bleachers and a 101.5 fever.  Add to that the 61 pound 7 year old with a 103 fever that was on my lap and you can imagine how uncomfortable I was.  My body ached, my head pounded and my butt felt like it might never recover.  I was miserable.

Even so, I was able to spend that time doing one of the most important things I will ever do be called to do; hold my son.  He was even more miserable than I and all he wanted was to be held in his mother's arms.  As big as he is now, when he was sick he just wanted to be held, even there in front of all those other wrestlers, he justed wanted to climb into my lap and be loved.

I couldn't help but be reminded of the parallels between our earthly relationships with our kids and God's relationship with us.  When I'm hurting, beat up, sick, I just want to curl up on His lap and be held.  And the thing about God's lap is that it's always available, always ready for me to jump into.

When I've avoided the laundry for way too long and the pile has become a mountain.
When I've yelled at my kids instead of disciplining them with integrity.
When I've spent money I didn't have.
When I've lied.  Cheated.  Stolen.
When I've failed to do the very thing I swore I would do right.
When I haven't prayed in days.  When my Bible has a 2 inch layer of dust.
When it's been years since I was in church.

When I'm not even sure He's really there.

That's when He holds me the tightest, rests my head on his shoulder and whispers in my ear, "It's alright, Baby.  Daddy's here.  It's going to be alright."