He ran through the house at breakneck speed, filling the air with the hair-raising screams of a tortured soul. In and out he darted, back and forth through my bedroom doorway. 5-year-old Kaleb's high-pitched shrieks intensified with each forceful exhalation. Had this been a scene written into a screenplay, the writer would have inserted a line that said:
THE LARGE PICTURE WINDOW SHATTERS.
My youngest son brought the duh-rama, ya hear?
Before I could get an understanding of what sent this human thunderbolt shooting through my room, he headed in my direction. Then, with a quiet thump, Kaleb's small frame fell onto my light tan carpet.
"My arrrrrrmmmm!" he cried out. "Ow, ow, owwww!!!"
While all this was going on, my mommy antenna went up. As I told you in a recent blog post, I have learned to decode cries over the years. Let's just say, I didn't push the panic button.
You see, young Mr. Hobbs had the horrifying shrills down to a science. Unfortunately for him, he was unable to produce the waterworks that manifest when he is really under extreme physical and emotional duress.
That boy's eyes were as dry as the Sahara Desert!
Now, those of you who have been consistently reading my blog over the years, already know how often I get tickled during "serious" parenting moments. Sometimes, I have to just bite my lip or simply remain silent to avoid letting out a big laugh in front of the children.
Thankfully, my 7-year-old son walked in right in the nick of time, before I cracked. Kedar, the more mature, level-headed brother, summed up the reason for Kaleb's impromptu performance in one sentence.
"Mommy, Kaleb doesn't want to help pick up the toys like you told us to, so he keeps saying his arm is hurting."
Aha!
Suddenly, my future little Oscar winner found the strength to peel himself up off the floor. The crying, if you want to call it that, ceased. Kaleb forgot all about his feigned agony.
He was so busted and he knew it.
As soon as those two cleared the room, I let the laughter rip.
I think if God was like us, He would be doubled over cracking up many times too! Our Heavenly Father knows His children find ways to protest and pout when we don't want to deal with something. How many times have we gone running to God, throwing ourselves at His feet, and cranking up the hysterics?
But, guess what? He, too, can decode our cries. The Lord knows the difference between a true cry for help and an emotional cry for attention.
One, He answers. The other, He does not.
For, He knows that, in our humanness, we fight against those things that threaten our comfort. It is natural to want to be free of troubling situations. I don't know anyone who prefers hardship over ease. Yet, whether we like it or not, there are some things we must go through in order to make us more mature, responsible, and strong.
Our sovereign God knows this. And He loves us too much to snatch us out of every challenging circumstance, thus rendering us wholly incapable of dealing with life. When we pray and cry out to Him, He hears us. When He doesn't answer, that doesn't mean God doesn't care. That's just an indicator of our strength and ability to deal with the difficulties confronting us at that time.
We all can rest assured, however, that when we're in over our heads and really can't take anymore, God rushes to our aid. I love the passage of scripture in Psalm18:6 where David says, "In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears."
If you read that entire Psalm, you will see that God responded to David, and came to His servant's defense. No doubt, he will do the same for you and me.
Today, you may be facing a storm that just won't go away. You've asked God to get rid of it and set you free. But still, there's no deliverance in sight.
That means you can handle it.
You might feel stressed, but that doesn't mean you're unbearably distressed. 2 Corinthians 4:8 says, "[We are] troubled on every side, yet not distressed; [we are] perplexed, but not in despair." (KJV)
It may be rough, but you and I can take it. And when we can't, God will step in and take it from there. Psalm 61:2 says, "From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock [that] is higher than I."
TODAY'S PRAYER: God, I thank You for reminding me that even though life can get hard and hectic sometimes, I can make it through. I realize that You will not snatch me out of every situation that troubles me. Yet in the time of trouble, when I have had all I can take, help me trust and know, that You will hear my cry, and come to my rescue. In Jesus' name, Amen.
