Hold You, Daddy
If you will allow me some liberties, let me share a little about my family. I have been married to my lovely bride for almost 23 years. I have two sons: one is 20 years old, the other is 17.
I recognize that our little ones grow up very quickly and some miss the days when our children were little and learning. Though those where enjoyable days, I have come to find joy in each stage that our children have taken. The cuddle and dependent stage of infancy was sweet. I even found the 3 a.m. feedings to be quite peaceful as I rocked and fed while the rest of the world slept. The ruckus of toddlers running and rummaging brought a new trial for patience but a lot of laughs along the way.
The little boy stage of t-ball, roughhousing, and layers of dirt brought the excitement of watching their unique personalities blossom. Late elementary found each boy discovering his own likes and dislikes as each began to make his own choices.
Middle School years brought the challenges of how to navigate the tsunami of life changes both physically and emotionally. The High School years carried with them added personal responsibilities as each grows into a young man. Though not fully on his own, one of our sons is in the midst of navigating the college years and all of the learning (in school and out of school) that goes with those years.
Through all of this, we wanted to teach our boys that God loved them and to show them how they could live out their faith in Christ that each expressed as a boy through being saved.
One of my favorite memories of my boys growing up comes from my younger son when he was toddling and just learning to talk. He would waddle up to me, hold his arms up, and say: “Hold you, daddy.” This was his way of asking me to pick him up. What I found so amusing is that from his perspective of the toddler world, he was holding on to me. Any casual observer would clearly see that I was actually the one holding on to him.
Don’t we do the same thing with God? We find ourselves making commitments and trying our hardest to hold on to God. All the while, any casual observer would clearly see that our Heavenly Father was actually the One holding on to us. Isaiah 41:10 says: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
As I grow through the stages of my spiritual life in Christ, it is so much more of the Lord holding on to me than me holding on to Him. And I’m glad He does. Because sometimes that is the only way I can make it.