When Was the Last Time You Felt Protected?

The other night I had a simple, yet profound epiphany.  What if we ran and clung to God the way that our children run and cling to us when faced with fear? 

Our three year old was extremely restless and cried out for me in her room the other night after we laid her down to go to bed.  This is an unusual thing for her to do and so I went in her room to see what was wrong. 

As soon as I got to the edge of her bed, she grabbed onto my neck and held on tight.  I mean tight.  Her whole body was tense, and there was no letting go.

Once getting her calmed down, I asked her what was the matter.  It was the shadow on her ceiling from her ceiling fan.  She couldn’t tell me what she saw, except it was a scary shape to her intense little imagination. 

Side note: I wonder when and why darkness instills so much fear into children.  Is there a certain moment in time where all of a sudden they get scared of the darkness?  Or is it a learned behavior after spending some time on our broken planet? 

I believe children still see SO MUCH GOOD in everything around them.  Really.  My daughter goes around and says how beautiful everything is.  From the rocks, to the trees, stars, sunsets, me, her dogs, etc. 

How sad is it though that darkness, or the lack of light fears them?  Maybe we could learn something from our littles: to steer away from darkness.  As darkness comes from the evil one.  Jesus is the one who brings light. 

Once again, my child is teaching me some basics of faith.  I can’t just keep this stuff to myself either.  This really does fascinate me.  The purity in her face, and the sincerity in her heart is God-breathed.  

I pray she can cling onto that for as long as she possibly can, and that this world will not corrupt her. 

That goes back to my original thought… is it corruption that is learned from the world that causes that fear from the shadow?  What did she see formed from that shadow?  Does the evil one try to pry into my sweet girl’s mind? 

This thought makes me sick, but we believe in a God that is so much more powerful and He DOES protect our little one.  Not today, Satan.  Jesus is with us!  We put on the armor of God every day for a reason.

I had her focus on her night-light as she still clung to me with her arms and legs.  We spoke about how that light is like Jesus.  That means that Jesus is with her and she doesn’t have to be afraid.  He protects her and keeps her safe.  She loosened her grip a bit.  As if some tension was released from her sweet soul. 

My little lady agreed to say a prayer before lying back down.  So we held one another and prayed.  I just want to hold onto those moments forever.

As I laid her down and tucked her in, I brushed her fine hair off her face and told that when she gets scared to just say “Jesus”.  In her quiet, tired voice she said “Jesus. Jesus. Jesus.” 

Be still, my heart. 

The following day another profound thought came about.  My daughter and I were going outside to feed our chickens.  She got a little distracted on the front porch for a moment.  I think it was from some rocks or something. 

Once again, she was soaking up the “beautiful rocks”.  I continued to walk towards the chicken coop, when all of a sudden I hear her cry out “Mommy!  Wait for me!” 

I turned around, and here she came.  Full throttle.  Running as fast as she could!

Then it donned on me… I need to be aware of the distractions in my life, and look up, crying out for My Heavenly Father.  Okay, I hear ya, God.  I also get distracted and need to run to you too.  Full throttle. 

From there, she grabbed my hand, held on tight and skipped the rest of the way to the chicken coop.  Sweet girl. 

Ya’ll, life is so much more fun, and more bearable with God.

We provide protection and comfort for our children especially in times of need. 

God does this for them too.  And guess what, for all of us mamas out there, He does it for us as well. 

I don’t know about you ladies, but that brings me a LOT of comfort.

Rest easy tonight, knowing you and your baby are protected by our Heavenly Father.

I hope you feel that protection just as much as your littles do.

Steer from fear, XO,

Bri