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The Whole World

 There's something strikingly special that happens in our hearts when a child of our own chooses to rest in our embrace.

 The man carried his world on his shoulders. The load was heavy, but he is strong. His heart and his muscles ached under the weight as he diligently, relentlessly held fast. The man stepped through the door into a busy, noisy, life-filled living room. His attention was immediately drawn to the smallest child, who did her best to keep up with the rest. She wanted to always be front-and-center, always in the middle, never left out. She was full of life and spunk and mystery. Her little mind and mouth couldn't form words yet, but her eyes were beautiful windows into her teeming, joyful heart. The man bent to the little girl and offered wordlessly to lift her into his arms. She accepted, and up she went- he lifted her many times higher than she could stand on her own, and she felt safe in the strength of his big frame. Suddenly being small felt good, and she nestled in close. The little girl tucked her arms in between her tummy and his chest, and in a surprisingly profound, unexpected moment, she laid her head down on his chest. I saw the man's whole frame nearly buckle as joy and love welled up. Right then his world didn't seem so heavy, and all he felt was love and honor that his little treasure had accepted the safety of his arms. Nothing else mattered but that sweet, special embrace. 
The little girl felt what happened in his heart, and held perfectly still. Then something else in the busy-ness of the home caught her attention, she wiggled down and was off on her way again. The man's frame rose taller than before, stronger, empowered. It was all worth it, and he resolved again to be steadfast.

Do you ever wonder why God lets us choose whether we want to love Him back or not? Why He would let us, in our free will, cause so much heartache for each other and for Him? I believe God gives us free will because He knows how special it is when a child chooses the safety of her Father's embrace. I believe He bends down, offering to lift us in His arms, higher than we stand on our own. I believe He craves the moments when everything else stops, and we choose to rest on Him- feeling His strength and experiencing being His treasure. 

To Him, our embrace makes carrying the whole world worth it.

Psalm 34:8
"Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him."



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