Needed, Wanted, Loved

Last night I had an experience that I'm sure will play out again many times in the future. Sometime after midnight, while the whole house was enjoying peaceful slumber, the house suddenly came alive with a huge crack of thunder...you know the kind, one of those enormous booms that rattles all the windows and causes the walls to shake---okay, maybe only if you live in an older home like us, but still, you can imagine that we all woke up from the land of nod with a less than peaceful jerk! Of course, Johnathan immediately started crying his scared cry, and BoBo (who is pretty much afraid of any loud cracking noises) started pacing the floor by our bed. Aaron and I got up to go get our little Monkey who was more than relieved to see us. And, as we brought him to our bed and snuggled him under the covers between us, I couldn't help but think how such a simple thing as just our presence calmed him down. We were (and are) the essence of safety and security for our sweet son, and I felt an immense sense of being needed, wanted and loved as he cuddled up close to me, happy just to have me near to him.

As often happens when I'm awake at night, enjoying the little happenings of parenthood, my mind wanders to the spiritual realm. Just as Johnathan was calmed down by the presence of his mother and father, so we too can be comforted in the presence of our Heavenly Father...our Abba. I must admit that I struggle with this area myself though. When I am in need of peace and reassurance I often run to my "human" comfort zones...my husband, family, close friends, etc. Learning to rely on the One who is the true source of safety is something I have to work at, but hopefully over time it will come more naturally. However, parenting has caused me to see so many parallels between the love I have for my son and the love that I know God has for me and all His children. So I have a feeling that as my heart continues to expand with the extreme love and protection I feel for my kids I will continue to draw closer to the Lord and see in a different light just how much He cares for me.

Anyways, just a few thoughts about being a parent. Sometimes I wish that nights like last night could last forever. My precious son, clinging to me, feeling secure in my arms. I know that I will treasure these memories for a lifetime, and I'm sure we'll have plenty of thunderstorms in the future that will cause little feet to run into our room and jump into our bed!