A few weeks ago, while engaged in conversation that included a close friend of ours (my wife and I), this friend told a brief story that has stuck with me ever since. She, a mother of two, told about how her daughter often runs to her room during the night when there is a thunderstorm. The young girl is afraid of the lightning, like many of us were at that age (and possibly still are even today!). Our friend emphasized the depth of security her daughter felt in her mother's arms while the lightning bolts hit all around, causing loud thunder. Despite the fact this mother could not stop the storm, or even make her daughter completely safe from it, her daughter was comforted to be in her presence.
God could remove the lightning from our lives, but He rarely does this.
The parent-child relationship is a reflection of the relationship God has with His children. This story, shared by our friend, caused me to ponder what her experience with her daughter can tell me about my relationship with my Heavenly Father. Often, God does not choose to take away the things that bother me in my life. The irritations, heart breaks, disappointments, fears, and other things that hurt me often remain despite my pleading with Him to remove or fix them. What are we to do when He doesn't take away the lightning in our lives? If I take notes from the young girl, what is it that gives her such peace when in her mother's arms?
Security is not something we get from a lightning rod.
I know this young lady fairly well. I also know the relationship she has with her parents. She knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that they love her. I am sure there will be times, such as disciplinary interventions, that she might struggle with that truth. However, there is a firm foundation of guaranteed love that has no bounds. I'm betting she always comes back to that truth. THIS is what we need with God for true security. We, all too often, believe that God must take away the lightning in our lives for us to have peace. That is a lie. All we need is to be able to run to Him and allow Him to hold us in His arms while the thunder crashes all around us.
Security is a direct result of living in His love.
I am presently convinced that the most difficult part of our walk of faith is believing God's love for us is everpresent, unconditional, and neverending. Evidence of this is seen in the fact that many of us struggle with security almost every day, showing up as fears and anxiety. It's far too easy to lose sight of how He loves us because we have an endless number of sources telling us otherwise. Where the young girl in the story has a firm foundation of love with her mother, many of us struggle to rest in it with God. That means a new foundation is needed, and that is not an easy transition. A new foundation begins with being willing to tear down any and every thing that tells us something other than what is true about God's love for us in Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). And it requires something so simplistic that it boggles my mind how powerful it is: faith like that of a child.
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