Watching children play is a reminder of the freedom that comes from simply being who they are.
A while back, we took our four-year-old God-niece, Annabelle (AB), to McDonald’s Playland for supper. Like most children her age, she was far more interested in exploring the tunnels and slides than in eating her chicken nuggets. Still, she mostly stood watching instead of joining in. Then I remembered something she had said earlier in the car. Someone had warned her not to be afraid of the red slide.
Wanting to help her feel more comfortable, I asked a nearby mom if I could introduce AB to her daughter and if she might help her navigate the play area. Introductions were made, and the two girls happily disappeared into the maze of tubes and tunnels together.
A little while later, AB came back looking concerned. She couldn’t find her new friend, who had apparently gone into one of the bubble windows. When AB finally found her, she discovered the little girl no longer wanted to play because AB wouldn’t go down the read slide.
Not long after that, AB met another little girl named Emma. As the two of them played, I noticed something important. AB still stayed on the green slide, carefully avoiding the red one altogether. But Emma didn’t seem to mind. She wasn’t worried about which slide AB chose. I wasn’t a big deal to her; she was simply happy to have a friend.
That small moment became a beautiful reminder of the love of Jesus. He does not wait for us to conquer every fear before He draws near to us. He, very simply, invites us to build a relationship with Him. He meets us where we are and loves us unconditionally, even while we are still learning to trust Him with our own “red slides”. Actually, His love is what encourages us to face them in the first place. Jesus loved us before we conquered our fears.
Abba Father, help me recognize the “red slides” in my life and trust You to help me through them. Give me the courage to follow where You lead, even when I am afraid. Thank You for loving me before my fears were conquered. Amen and yes!
This post is being shared with many other writers’ entries at Five Minute Friday.
I first wrote this post on October 7, 2011. Today I revisited and made a few updates.
We took our God-niece (4-year old) to Macdonald’s Playland for supper and, of course, ate with all the other brave moms, dads, grandparents, and sitters in the community. Miss Annabelle (AB) was certainly more interested in playing than eating but was only looking at the tubes and slides. I realized the problem when I remembered that she had commented in the car that someone had told her not to be afraid of the red slide. I asked the mom sitting next to us if I could introduce AB to her daughter and would she help her negotiate the playland. So, introductions done, AB and her new friend went off to explore and learn. A short while later AB said she couldn’t find her friend, who was hiding in the bubble. She went to find her and had discovered that she didn’t want to play because AB didn’t want to go on the red tube/slide. A bit later AB came up with a new friend named Emma. As they played I noticed AB still was playing on the green slide but Emma wasn’t worried about that. She had a friend and that was what was most important to her.
A Satisfied Spirit 