“Find rest, O my soul,
in God alone; my hope comes from Him,” ~Psalm 62:2
As a parent, I find that I am more aware of the ugliness of
Sin and also the beautiful aspects of God and His love for us. For those who are unaware of this, sin in
children is blatant and very difficult to overlook. I am constantly reminded of different
proverbs as I watch my children grow, learn, and interact with others. (For children have not yet learned what adults
have, to hide their sin from those around them.) I feel at times my children’s outward
behavior mirrors my ugly inward rants and tantrums. Recently, I was granted the privilege of
experiencing attributes of God’s love but in the context of Motherhood, and through
the ugliness of my own sin. My youngest
was restless and cranky, unable to lay down and be still on my lap while I was
doing work so she didn’t have my full attention. I knew instinctively that she needed “rest”
but I was busy and pre-occupied. She did
not just need “sleep” but also a feeling of comfort and security that only I,
and my full attention, could provide her.
So I set aside my work and turned my full attention to my restless
little one; I offered her my lap, which she gladly accepted. Upon entering my arms her restlessness just
melted away and a sense of peace, joy, and security washed over her and overwhelmed
my heart. Seeing that instant
transformation in her face and change in her demeanor made me realize this is
just a fraction of what God experiences when I come back to him and curl up in
his lap, cradled in his arms, relishing in his loving embraces. My experience did not stop there—as I rocked
my youngest in our lazy boy chair my oldest nestled in at her sisters’ feet
half on my lap half on the arm of the chair.
As the youngest fell asleep (which did not take long) my oldest and I
sang children songs.
“All the lands are at
rest and at peace they break into singing.” ~Isaiah 14:7
For me, the songs were
a form of worship even though they were not “Christian” or “worship songs”—in
my heart it was an act of thankfulness, and gratitude for the ability to be
mentally and spiritually present in this moment. My thoughts were with my girls
and enjoying that moment (it was as if when I sat down and watched my youngest
melt in my arms all my worries and concerns and tasks became non-existent).
Later that night my husband and I read from “Abiding in
Christ” by Andrew Murray. There was one
particular sentence that jumped out at me as if God was speaking to me through Andrew
Murray’s words. The message I took from this sentence was a reminder of what
that moment truly was and how to personally get back to that state in my relationship
with God.
“Retire frequently with Him into the inner chamber of the heart, where
the gentle voice of the spirit is only heard if all is still.” (Abiding in Christ. Andrew
Murray)
