Playground

Posted by Whittle a While | | Posted On Friday, June 17, 2011 at 12:32 PM

I am always amazed by the love that my heavenly Father has for me. No matter how many times I fail Him, He continues to reach out to me. No matter how many times I am distracted by the world, seduced and drawn away; He continues to wait patiently for our time together. He is so gentle with us!

Yet, here I am on the "playground" of life if you will and I see so many fun things to do. I tend to want to run off by myself to experience each swing, slide or ride on the playground. Sometimes I just stand there in front of the ride and try to figure out how it works or the best way to make the most of it. Sometimes I can't reach the bar. My legs aren't strong enough to jump that high. And yes, the jungle gym is very tall and I'm afraid of heights! And then along comes Dad. He isn't preoccupied with a book, playing with his phone or jumping on his laptop at a picnic table. No, he has been walking along just watching me. He sees my enthusiasm with being on the playground and is just amused by indecision and uncertainties. He is just waiting for me to ask for help and occasionally he catches me when I slip and start to fall. In my excitement, I don't even realize that he caught me and I just keep running on to the next thrill. As I climb to the top of the mammoth slide in the middle of the playground, I peer over the top and gaze down the mirror like metal, seemingly three stories high and fear grips my heart! I so want to experience the rush of the slide but it is so high up and the fear of letting go takes hold of me. Is it too much? Can I handle it? Will I be hurt?

And then I see him! He is there, at the bottom, cheering me on. His arms are outstretched. His hands are motioning me on and he calls out to me, "I'm here, I'll catch you. It'll be great. You can do it!" The love that is on his face overwhelms any fear that I may have and I let go of the hand rails and enjoy the slide, all the while watching my Daddy's face as I slide faster and faster toward him. And just as I reach the bottom, I feel the loving touch of my father as his hands reach out to me. He lifts me up with the momentum of the slide and the ride is climaxed with a hug from my Dad. The affirmation and affection that I see on his face makes all the difference in the world!

Oh what I would have missed if I were running through the playground without my Dad! And yet that is what so many of us do today. We run away from our heavenly Father, trying to experience life on our own. We think it is so much better without him. We can handle it all. Yet, without him, it is just another ride. There is no one at the bottom to cheer us on. No one to catch us and lift us up, embracing us within his arms. Our heavenly Father longs to hear our cries and reveal to us just how valuable we are to Him! He is a distant Father who has come near to us and has revealed His love for us through His Son, Jesus Christ. You want to know the Father, look at His Son. You want to feel the embrace of the Father, embrace His Son. You want to know how much He loves you, look to the cross!

I pray that this Father's Day will be filled with Dads who are leading their sons and daughters toward our heavenly Father so that they may know how much He loves them. May the Lord heal our land by turning the hearts of fathers toward their children.

"And he will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with a curse" (Malachi 4:6).
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Turn It Off

Posted by Whittle a While | | Posted On Friday, May 27, 2011 at 8:32 AM

We lie awake at night, perusing the pages of our minds.  Wondering, will it ever end?  Will the conflicts, problems, decisions, struggles . . . will they ever end.  Just when you think that you have made it through one storm, just over the horizon peaks another cloud.  How big will the front be?  Will it bring lots of rain?  Will the wind howl?  Will the house remain standing or will we lose everything?

I see the devastation in the midwest due to the horrific tornados and all of a sudden my concerns really don't seem to even hit the radar screen.  I'm incredibly blessed!  My prayers go out to those who have lost loved ones so dear to them.  Some are moving on, and for others the nightmare continues . . .

Which brings me to my original thought.  How do I turn it off?  In the middle of the storm the mind races from one scene to another until you are left mentally exhausted and praying for sleep to come and rescue you from the chaos.  It is in these moments that I find myself praying to the Lord, ". . . help my unbelief"  (Mark 9:24).  I call it my "midnight reminder prayer!"  It is in those dark and lonely times when the night cascades a darkness that is not to be relinquished until the breaking of the dawn.  It is in those moments that I cry out to my Lord and ask Him to turn it off.  Please Lord, turn off the fear, the doubt, the worry, the unbelief and replace all of it with the gentle peace from the One who created me.  And He does!  His word begins to flood my soul with peace and assurance that He is there . . . walking through the storm with me.  "'The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart'--that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved . . . for the scripture says, 'Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed'" (Romans 10:8-9, 11).  Regardless of how your circumstance relates to others and whether or not it is as great a trial is really irrelevant.  Your "storm" is real and the pain one feels while walking through the storm is real.  But how we deal with the storm is critical!

I'm reminded of the words I read recently in Chris Tiegreen's devotional, The One Year Walk with God, in which he said, "The strange tendency of human nature is to thrive under distress and to stray under prosperity.  We usually don't see it that way because we define thriving in terms of our circumstances.  But God defines it in terms of our attitude and growth in Him.  And we grow best when we're in trouble" (Pg.144).  It is the pain we find in the struggle that often times drives us to our knees seeking the Lord's peace and comfort.  I'm so thankful that the Lord has sent "the Comforter" to us and not just comfort.  Our Lord can use pain to create a heart that is hungry for Him!  And I'm so thankful that He is able to satisfy!

Yes, He can turn it off . . . and often it is His presence, peace and amazing love that we find in His word that He uses to do so in the middle of the storm as He walks through it with us.  And as I pray to Him and recite His word in my heart, I see a spiritual dawning take place and His light permeates my soul and I am refreshed.  He sees my fears, hurts and concerns and comes to my rescue!   
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