A Taste of His Embrace

Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” —Matthew 11:28-30

Mia, our one-and-a-half year old daughter, was quietly playing upstairs in our bedroom yesterday. While this usually means she is pooping, I walked in and was surprised to find this wasn't the case. Instead, she had unplugged our sound machine and kept trying to stick the plug back into the outlet. Fearing she would zap herself (I don’t trust the electrical in our 100-year-old home), I walked over, calmly said, “No, Mia, you can’t do that," and took the cord out of her hand. She stood up, turned around, and walked away, putting both of her hands on her face to cover her eyes. She whimpered, sad and ashamed. I immediately came up behind her, picked her up, sat down on the side of our bed, and wrapped my arms around her body. She rested her head on my shoulder. I held her. I told her I loved her. I kissed the top of her head. And after about a minute, she picked her head up off my shoulder, leaned in, and gave me a tiny kiss on my lips. It's one of those moments I hope I never forget.

This moment was a brief glimpse, a taste of the Lord's embrace. It’s a reminder for when I feel overwhelmed by shame. I too often let the embarrassment of my sin push me to despair and isolation. I close myself off emotionally from my wife, kids, and friends. I numb away any conviction I feel with distraction. These responses solidify the lie I can so easily believe that tells me I am unworthy to come to Him. Or that wallowing in despair, isolating myself from others, and mindless consumption will be the cure. And yet, these two minutes from yesterday with my daughter point me to the truth: in my weakest moments, even in the midst of my darkest sinful thoughts and actions, He not only knows me, but He loves me. He calls me to approach His throne of grace with boldness, and promises I will find true rest and comfort in His embrace.