Disclaimer: If you don't understand where I am coming from, this story could present prideful. Please please understand that it is shared with utmost humility. I don't claim to be anything special but I realized today how God had blessed me in a way I had never noticed and I wanted to share it with you. Know that anything I have ever done right has been a work of God.
I have always handled accidents, bumps and bruises differently than some people. In fact this past week I was reminded how different I do handle them, especially with my children.
When one of my children come running to me crying from being hurt or sick I always have responded the same way. I hold them and let them cry without asking any questions. Sometimes they cry for a very long time. Sometimes they seem to cry as soon as I hold them. There have been times that they start crying harder in my arms than they were when they came to me. But, I always just sit, hold them, and let them cry. Then, after it seems they have some assurance in my ability to help them, I evaluate their condition.
I have had some pretty bad conditions to evaluate. Like the time when Chase broke his arm in the drive way. I held him first, THEN looked at his arm. There was also the time that Cade fell off of the cabinet @ 4 years old and knocked 2 teeth out. Through lots of blood, I still held him first, THEN looked at his mouth. What about Friday when Kendall came in from riding her bike, holding her knee and detailing her wreck through tears. Once again, I held her first, THEN checked out the knee.
There have been times that after I have held them and let them cry, they seem to be fine. Sure things might be a tad sore, but they are not near as bad as thought or once were. For instance, Cade came in last week from what one would have thought was severing of a limb during a basketball game in the driveway. In he comes in all of his tears and pain and I just wrapped my arms around him and let him cry. My mother was outside with him when he had his little mishap. Although grandmother can fix many things, a crying child really just wants his momma. My daddy was inside with me and witnessed the tears. As granddaddy's do, they wanted to know what had happened. He asked a couple of times during the drama. But there wasn't a response. We were in our "First Responders" mode of hugging and consoling.
After the crying seemed to subside, I inquired about his fingers. In amazement, they were all still attached. There was no blood. And when I asked him if he needed some ice, he told me they were better now, and out the door he went to resume the game.
Though I have shared examples of how I respond to crisis, how much more does God respond to us in the very same way? After all, He is more concerned with our heart and how things effect it than He is concerned with the bumps and bruises. True, He is concerned with the physical and heals it as well, but his "First Response" is our hearts. He wants to heal it. God also wants to wrap us up and let us cry. Yes, it is ok to cry in God's lap. Sometimes we cry for a while and when we are through crying, we notice things really aren't as bad as once thought. There are times we cry and he soothes us so quickly. And there are those times when while we are snuggled up to Him, we cry even harder.
He tend to our hearts first. Just like I tend to my children emotionally first. I believe the Bible teaches that He looks past the outward difficulties and goes straight to the heart. THEN, He looks at the scars, brokenness, and aching that needs fixin'. Like I said before, sometimes the boo boos aren't as bad as once thought. And sometimes, they are worse than what was originally thought. Either way, God mends and restores and sends us on our way.....probably hollering "Now be careful this time" just like I do.
Dear God,
Thank you for allowing me to unknowingly mirror your idea of a "First Responder" to my children. I have never thought of it as being a way to show them You. I hope that they will always run to you and jump in Your arms when they need to. Thank you for your promise to be there and to restore. I love you a whole bunch. In Jesus' name, Amen.
"...for the Lord seeth not as man seeth, for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." I Samuel 16:7b
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