My Daddy's Lap

Those of you that know me will smile when I write the first line of my story today...so go ahead and starting smiling and shaking your head... :-)

I want you to use all your imagination as you read the following story...I want you to put yourself in the story...Use all of you senses to feel yourself there and block out any distractions that are going on around you...

I want you to imagine that you are walking through a forest. It has been snowing for days and the snow is up past your ankles. You trudge through the snow and start thinking about your life. You think back of when you were a kid and how you wanted to grow up so fast and be an adult so no one could tell you what to do. You start to remember what it was like being a little kid. The safety, the comfort your received and the stability of life. As you trek through the snow you begin to wish you were that little kid again who could crawl up in your Daddy's lap and rest. Rest from all the responsibilities of work, home and family. That place that allowed you to be vulnerable and safe from harm. You begin to wish you could go back and see your Daddy again...
You continue to walk and you realize that you have gotten lost. You cannot remember how to get back to where you came from. You begin to pray and ask for help. As you are walking and praying you see light coming from a cabin in the distance. You begin to walk in the direction of the light hoping that whomever is in the cabin can help you. You are weary from your trek and don't think you can make it all the way without help.
Yet...somehow you find the strength and make it to the cabin. You walk up to the cabin and and knock on the door. When you knock, the door begins to swing open. You can feel the warmest, see the crackling fire and hear the creaking of the rocker that is facing the fire. You see a man sitting in the rocker and you call out...hello. He doesn't turn around but you hear Him say..."Welcome. Take your shoes and coat off and come join me by the fire." At first you don't know how to respond but you feel such comfort at being in the presence of this man that you take your shoes off and hang up your coat. You then go and sit close to Him and begin to warm up. He asks you what brought you to His side and you begin to tell Him all the weights that you carry around in your life. The worries of your life, your past, unforgiveness, shame, loneliness, guilt, low self-esteem. You explain how they weigh you down and you so wish that you could just crawl up in your Daddy's lap and rest. You are soooo tired. The weariness of all that you have been thinking about and feeling begins to well up in tears. With your head bowed and the emotions flowing the man in the rocker reaches down and lifts your chin to see Him. You realize that this man is your Daddy. He motions you to come and crawl up in His lap. You can't believe that the creator of the universe is taking the time to comfort you. You get up and you literally crawl over to Him and into His lap. It is a perfect fit. You lay back in His arms and you look up to see the comfort in His eyes and He begins to rock. He doesn't say anything. He doesn't have to. You are at perfect peace in His arms. All the worries, responsibilities, and weights have disappeared. You take a deep breath, relax and rest.
You stay as long as you need to until you are refreshed and revived. You crawl out of your Daddy's lap and you know that you can face what this world throws at you. You say thank you and you throw your arms around His neck. He whispers that it you are His pleasure and that you can come and rest anytime. You walk toward the door, put on your boots and coat and walk back out into your life. You realize you now remember the way back. You walk back from where you came refreshed.
This is what happens when we take the time to crawl up into our Daddy's lap and rest. Many of us get overwhelmed and exhausted trying to carrying all the obligations and worries of our life. I know I do! BUT...I know there is a safe place for me...a place that I can lay it all down for awhile and REST. In my Father's lap...it is a perfect fit for me...just like I know when you crawl up into your the Father's lap it will be the perfect fit for you too!!!

Captured by Grace,
-D