How We Handle Things
I love this picture of my one-year old granddaughter gazing up at the tall character of Wolverine. She looks unafraid, in spite of his rather scary appearance and long, sharp claws. Then, just days later, she was in the presence of beautiful, sweet Snow White and she displayed an entirely different response to this gentle lady --
Go figure!
The interesting thing about these expressions (besides that the baby is SO CUTE!), is how they reflect our own responses to life situations. Often times, when we have to deal with serious difficulties - things that can look big and scary -- we handle them. We don't let the sharp claws of the situation intimidate us, we just jump right in and stare the thing down. We might even be surprised at how strong we were and how well God got us through it.
Then, even a few days later, we might be faced with a simple thing that could be described as "gentle" in comparison - and, we fall apart. We crawl away crying and end up wondering, "What just happened??"
It reminds me of Elijah when he stood on Mount Carmel, facing hundreds of the enemy, and fearlessly taunted them in the name of the Lord. How he set up an impossible sacrifice and then called upon God, who responded with fire from heaven. Elijah saw a mighty victory that day (1 Kings 18). Yet, by that evening, he had run away, sat down under a tree, and prayed to die because he felt so despondent. We shake our heads in wonder - how could Elijah become so discouraged, so fast?
Look at my granddaughter's expression in each picture and you get a clue of how quickly responses and emotions can change. In that moment when she crawled away crying, her mother gathered her up in her arms and comforted her. She assured her that she is safe and loved, and her needs would be met.
How precious our heavenly Father is to do the same with us. When Elijah was despondent, God sent an angel with food for him and then blessed him with a good sleep. He did that twice, because Elijah was exhausted. The angel said, "Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you." Too great for Elijah, but not for God. God is able and God is love.
Thank you God, for gathering us in your loving arms and caring for our every need!
