The Touch of a Father

What is it about this world that we live in? What makes us cry, what comforts us, what makes us smile? When we get up in the morning....where are we going? The children are screaming, the clock is ticking, the world is spinning, and we try desperately to survive to the next day. The demands on us are huge. We must provide for families, pay bills, buy food, fill the gas tank, exercise, eat, sleep...and that is only the morning! It is so easy to get so wrapped up into our own lives that we forget that we are not alone. Look out your window on any given morning and you will see mirror images of your life. We are a species built for survival and each day we attempt to succeed once again.

I was driving to the church the other morning and decided that I would look into the cars of all of those traveling with me. I saw a man singing, a woman sleeping, a child smiling, a teenager crying, and a dog enjoying the fresh air. I observed people talking, fighting, eating, and some doing nothing at all. I don't know where they were going but we all woke up that morning, put on our clothes, and decided to try and survive one more time.

There are times when the last thing we want to do is open the door and try again. It is very easy to turn back to the warmth of your home and decide that it is just safer not to move any more. It is quite common to think that our lives have become a comedy of errors and we are sick of being the laughing stock of this fickle world. I know the feeling of looking into the mirror and wondering why this world doesn't just get easier for a little bit. We peer out into the streets and see all of these people enjoying life and savoring the experiences that we want to partake in. We run back to the mirror and scream, "When is it my turn!". We fall silent and wait for the answer....and are greeted with the silence of the confused.

Yes....this world can be a cruel place and each day we battle to survive.

I know the tears, I understand the anxiety, I can feel the anger that wells up inside. When we are born this is a simple place and it seems to grow complicated with each passing hour. How we would love to go back to the time of warm hugs, wet grandmother kisses, loving glances, and a story before bed. It would be so nice.....

On the same morning that I looked into all of those cars we had a baptism at our morning service. The little girl was not happy about being taken from her parents and she let the congregation know that this was not her cup of tea. The Sr. Pastor tried mightily to calm the child down but to no avail. The parents seemed very calm though and with a knowing smile the father reached out to his crying daughter and seemingly touched her face and gave her a pacifier. The little one ceased crying immediately and the parents gave their little one a glance as if to say that all would be okay. She didn't cry the rest of the ceremony and another child was entered into the Kingdom.

We are like that little girl. Every morning we are thrust out from the warmth of our homes and forced to try and fight through another day. It can be a scary experience and some days it would be much easier to throw the covers over our heads and hide from our fears. It is at that moment, in the midst of all of our sadness, that the hand of God reaches out and gently caresses our cheek. In a slow motion His hand moves slowly over the wrinkles, smooths our hair, and wipes away our tears. His touch is a familiar one and with His Love our sobs slow to gentle breathing. We slowly turn our heads and with a knowing glance He lets us know that all will be okay.

You are okay. You are not alone. You are loved. You will survive.

Whatever is happening in your life, whatever is ailing you, whatever frightens you...give it to God. Just let it go and allow His healing touch to carry you through whatever obstacles are in the way. We can't go back to the way life was when we were young, but we are still children of God and He will always be there to tuck us in and get us ready to start a new day.

We are loved and therefore we will survive.

Thank you God.....for everything.