God’s Comforting Embrace

It was a warm sunny day and my two younger children were playing outside. I was just getting ready to sit down with a glass of Iced tea and a good book when my 10 year old daughter came in screaming. I immediately ran to her side to see what had happened. She told me there was a big splinter in her finger. I tried to look, but she wouldn’t let me. I wanted to hold her, but she didn’t want me near her. She turned and ran into the other room. I wanted to see if I could pull the splinter out, but she yelled at me to go away. It grieved my heart that she was hurting. It grieved me even more that she wouldn’t allow me to comfort her.

As a mother, I am supposed to take away the pain. I am supposed to “fix” them. Even though this is how God designed me to be, a nurturer, there will be those times when my children say to me “no, don’t touch me”, or “go away”, or “leave me alone”.

In these times, I am reminded that this is how I often react to God when I am hurting. When my loving Heavenly Father comes to take away my pain and bring healing, I often choose to run away, to be left alone in my pain. The one thing that can soothe and comfort me the most is the one thing that I turn from.

For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him, but has listened to his cry for help. (Psalm 22:24)

But God will never turn his back on me when I am hurting. He will listen to my cries for help. He will always answer. Even when I think I’ve run far from Him, He still remains by my side, waiting for me to let Him in. And as a mother, I will never turn my back on my children when the hurt. I may leave them alone for a while. Sometimes we need to give our children space. But sooner or later, their walls will come down and they will give me permission to come and comfort them. And in those moments, I scoop them up and hold on tight. These moments will not last.

I am so thankful for God’s comforting embrace. Even when I choose to hold on to my pain and run far from Him, I am never alone. He is always right beside me, holding me in His comforting embrace.