My son and daughter-in-law blessed my husband and me with a grandson this year. They planned the delivery, but nothing progressed as scheduled.
That day Nashville had a blizzard. My son drove his wife to the hospital in the wee hours of the morning because of her severely high blood pressure. The doctors decided to induce, but the baby’s heartbeat dropped with each minor contraction. The doctors then recommended a C-section, but when the baby was born, they whisked him away to the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit). Five days later, we finally got to see him. Rather see my son holding Tucker.
That sight caused my heart to swell two times larger and tears to seep. My son cradled his teeny son in his big arms, holding, protecting, and sheltering him with a deep, abiding love. Every caress was slow and deliberate. My son’s eyes wondered at everything about this little miracle.
I got to hold my grandson recently. My daughter-in-law had a dental appointment and asked me to babysit. When I arrived, she told me he’d had five shots the previous day and that he felt puny. She gave him Tylenol before she left.
I fed and burped him, then held him for over an hour while he slept. I could feel him relax in my arms as he drifted deeper into sleep. I used both my hands to embrace him and so wanted to take away his sickness and fever. As I held him, God told me, “I’m holding you.”
I was recovering from a nasty virus and double ear infections and was in the final weeks of a book launch. I was exhausted.
I don’t always sense this being held because I often worry about today, tomorrow, and the future.
As I felt my grandson relax and even let out a long sigh, I thought of myself relaxing. I allowed myself to trust God with my exhaustion, the book launch, and my healing.
I imagined what it would look like to trust Him to hold me when I fall and fail, when I’m scared of the unknown, and when I believe the enemy’s lies.
As I reminded myself to trust Him, I relaxed in my Father’s secure and warm embrace. Secure. Loved. Held.
As we go about our day, let’s allow ourselves to fall into our Father’s arms when we feel our jaw tensing or we’re pushed out of our comfort zone.
His arms are always underneath you (Deut. 33:27), waiting to catch you. He’s strong enough to hold you close through the lengthy trial.
Hear God say to you, “I’ve got this. I’ve got you.”
Breathe. Relax. Lean into the strong arms of our gracious and compassionate God. He’s waiting for you to come to Him with arms readied to hold you for however long or whatever may come your way.