One weekend, my husband and I had the pleasure of babysitting our little three year old whirlwind while her parents attended a meeting. I, of course, love her with all my heart. How could I not with her beautiful dark hair and dancing brown eyes? Her delightful presence just seemed to light up the room she was in with her contagious laughter. She was, and still is, our lightbulb and lights up all of our lives. But, to continue, as a child, it was hard to put her down for a much needed nap because she felt her little world had so much excitement, there wasn’t time to ‘waste’ on being still. She might miss something!
Thankfully she didn’t cry when her parents left (whew). I played her favorite games, laughed when she found me during hide and seek, crawled on the floor under the dining room table (she giggled when I hit my head), read books and made sure I made spaghetti with lots of parmesan cheese, her favorite meal.
All was going very well until it started to rain. Thunder and lightnng soon followed. While we were at the kitchen table eating dinner, a particularly
loud clap of thunder occurred. She jerked her head, looked up with wide, frightened, brown eyes at the window and jumped out of her booster seat, ran to me landing on my lap with her back to the window. She pressed her little body as close to me as she possibly could burying her head into my neck. I put my arms around her, holding her close. She continued to cling to me with her adorable arms around my neck in a vice-like grip looking over her shoulder at the window every time the thunder roared.
While she clutched me, I wondered as to what I could do to appease her fear knowing, due to her young age, I couldn’t explain the physical dynamics of thunder so she could understand (or care) why it occurred. I knew I had to do something. She couldn’t be tormented by thunder during her young life.
I found myself saying, while I looked toward the window, “Thunder, don’t be so loud!” I spoke a little louder,“Thunder don’t be so loud!” With even more volume, “Thunder don’t be so loud!” She looked at me and began to calm down. I then said to her, “Now, you say it!” Still holding on to me, she uttered in her little child-like voice, while looking at the window, “Hunder, don’t be so loud!” I said, “Good, now say it a little louder.” She then said a little louder “Hunder, don’t be so loud!” Still feeling fear in her clutched arms around my neck, I said, “louder!” Then, with a new found confidence and more volume, “Hunder, don’t be
so loud!” I said, “Good… again.” She relaxed her grip, faced the window but, still staying close to my body, once again, this time even louder, yelled with her new found strength, ”HUNDER, DON’T BE SO LOUD!”
I joined her, “Hunder, don’t be so loud!” While the storm blew its fury, we spoke to it. She began to laugh her contagious joy. We laughed together telling the thunder claps to not be so loud and before long the twinkle was back in her eyes. Since that day, she hasn’t been tormented by natures’ changing weather.
You may be thinking, that’s a cute story, but what does it have to do with me? We all have storms in our lives that thunder out its fear for us to accept and be tormented. They may be as large as a pending divorce or, unfortunately, the divorce may have already occurred, a lengthly illness, a child or spouse away from God, a financial problem, being downsized or fired from a job, a pandemic virus or the ultimate storm, the death of a loved one.
There can be so many different disruptions (storms) in our lives. We don’t jump into someones lap (even though we want to) but, we still feel the heavy weight of anxiety. Even as I write this, you may be thinking of the thing or things that has controlled you. If it is not you, you may know someone that has this concern. Fear and pain from the past and worry about the future are the underlying cause for most of our actions and reactions.
The good news is Jesus has already calmed the storms in our lives. He says. “Fear nothing for I am with you, be not afraid, for I am your God. I strengthen you. I help you, I support you with my victorious right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 AMPC
You may be thinking, How do I do this?. Remember my precious three year old? She didn’t hesitate to run to protection. She leaped into my lap knowing she would be safe. Jesus has a big lap that can support all of us. We can bury our face into His neck as His loving arms wrap around us. We can be safe. He has already given us His word on it.
I have jumped into His spiritual lap many times. This is what you do. When the storms howl, you pray and even envision holding on to Him seeing His arms around you, “Father, in the name of Jesus, I’m frightened and I don’t know what to do. But, You know everything and I need Your wisdom. I give this fear, this apprehension, this pain, this loss over to You. You have said in Your Word I am not to fear. You will strengthen me. You will help me. You will support me because You are my God and You love me. I give ____________ over to You and I will trust You with it. It is too big for me to carry and I thank You for being my loving Father that I can take all my cares and put them into Your victorious right hand. Thank You for loving me. I want to love You more.”
This is our beginning. Then when the fear thoughts clap their thunder, we reaffirm our position of trust in Him “I thank You Lord for working this out for me. I won’t look at the storm but I will keep trusting in You.” You might have to say it a few times, sometimes more than just a few; but, don’t stop! He will help you. He is our Shepherd and He will take care of us, His sheep. Psalm 23
Let’s remember the words of a precious child. “HUNDER DON’T BE SO LOUD! My Jesus is with me.”
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