“So don’t be afraid: I’m with you. I’ll round up all your scattered children; pull them in from east and west. I’ll send orders north and south: ‘Send them back. Return my sons from distant lands, my daughters from faraway places. I want them back, every last one who bears my name, every man, woman, and child Whom I created for my glory, yes, personally formed and made each one.’” (Isaiah 43:5-7, MSG)
This is a verse of encouragement for me. God is reminding us not to be afraid, or to feel lonely, or alone, or isolated – because He is with us. The verse goes onto to speak of how He will gather the children, from all the corners of earth – everyone that was called a child of God…He wants each and every one of us back.
I can only imagine how God feels with His children scattered throughout the world. I would imagine He has the same feeling of yearning for His children, as we do our own.
Abby is now a teenager. She is involved in a singing group and travels frequently performing at ministry / concert outreach events. If that wasn’t enough, she also enjoys spending the night with her friends. At times, she can be gone for a few days without us seeing each other. I feel a void in my heart; I feel like something is missing, and I yearn to have her close to me.
And when she goes to school, I worry about her well being. Will the teachers treat her well? Will she be bullied today or put down today? Will something happen that will cause her to think she is not everything that God, her dad and I believe her to be? I fear that I cannot be there for her and take care of her each and every need and hurt. I fret over the fact that I cannot protect her 24-hours a day / 7-days a week and it breaks my heart.
At times, okay most times, she becomes highly frustrated by my tendencies – she is a teenager and can take care of herself. She certainly doesn’t need her mother to hover over her at her age. Then there are times that she just wants to rest in the comfort of my arms – and know that everything will be okay. Those are the moments that I cherish.
I imagine that in the same fashion that we worry, fret and fear over our children, God is concerned for us. As any good parent, He allows us to scatter to the ends of the earth, and figure out who we are, in hopes that we will come home to Him, because we have learned that home is where the heart is. Despite what we encounter on our journey, despite how we feel along the way, despite our ups and our downs, God is with us.
In the same way, a piece of who we are, the words we have counseled, remains with each of our children, and as they hear our words in their heart, they are reminded that we are with them. God is the same with us, as He speaks to our heart and reminds us that He is with us always.
Thank you God for remaining with me at all times. Thank you for speaking to my heart and thank you most of all for encouraging me to come home.
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