Jill's Journey
I had a memory come back to me today that I haven't thought about in years. It was a beautiful late afternoon in early spring and we were at Trevor's T-Ball practice. All the parents were sitting around on lawn chairs, talking or reading or just watching. The younger siblings who were not involved in the practice were playing games of tag on the side or climbing trees. Allison was a little bitty girl at the time, not yet two, but she was enjoying her newfound independence and she toddled around picking up stones and pulling grass, quite oblivious to us or to any possibility of danger.
I remember being in the middle of a conversation with Geoff when all of a sudden a high-pitched, frantic scream from Allison pierced the air! Geoff and I immediately jumped up from our seats and ran to where she sat in the grass not more than 10 feet from us. She was riveted to the ground, screaming at the top of her lungs. At first glance, we couldn't tell what in the world was wrong with her that would cause her to continue to screech in such pain and terror.
As Geoff snatched her up, we finally realized what was happening. Allison's bare feet and legs were covered with little tiny red ants and they were doing a job on her. Already there were raised welts on her chubby white skin. Other parents came running at the realization and we all began rubbing and brushing and stomping those little red ants into oblivion! It took about 15 minutes to squish every last one (some had even managed to get into her diaper area) and soothe her down.
I'll never forget holding her in my arms as she gradually, gradually stopped convulsing and allowed her tense body to relax into mine. When we got home, we soaked her in a cool bath and fed her a good supper and by bedtime, you wouldn't even have known anything traumatic had happened to her.
What got me thinking about that story was a couple of verses I read today from Isaiah 30. Verses 18-19 say, "Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. Blessed are all who wait for Him...How gracious He will be when you cry for help. As soon as He hears, He will answer you." This truth - that He rises to show us compassion - overwhelms me to the core with awe and tenderness. To think of my heavenly Parent jumping up and rushing to my side when I'm overcome with cries of fear, pain, worry or doubt. How comforting to know that He hears my cries and is a "very Present Help" in times of trouble. (Psalm 46:1)
Psalm 18:6 says, "In my distress, I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice; my cry came before Him, into His very ears." He is listening right now, so call to Him today. Cry out to Him. Lift up your voice. Look...even now He is rising to meet you!
I remember being in the middle of a conversation with Geoff when all of a sudden a high-pitched, frantic scream from Allison pierced the air! Geoff and I immediately jumped up from our seats and ran to where she sat in the grass not more than 10 feet from us. She was riveted to the ground, screaming at the top of her lungs. At first glance, we couldn't tell what in the world was wrong with her that would cause her to continue to screech in such pain and terror.
As Geoff snatched her up, we finally realized what was happening. Allison's bare feet and legs were covered with little tiny red ants and they were doing a job on her. Already there were raised welts on her chubby white skin. Other parents came running at the realization and we all began rubbing and brushing and stomping those little red ants into oblivion! It took about 15 minutes to squish every last one (some had even managed to get into her diaper area) and soothe her down.
I'll never forget holding her in my arms as she gradually, gradually stopped convulsing and allowed her tense body to relax into mine. When we got home, we soaked her in a cool bath and fed her a good supper and by bedtime, you wouldn't even have known anything traumatic had happened to her.
What got me thinking about that story was a couple of verses I read today from Isaiah 30. Verses 18-19 say, "Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. Blessed are all who wait for Him...How gracious He will be when you cry for help. As soon as He hears, He will answer you." This truth - that He rises to show us compassion - overwhelms me to the core with awe and tenderness. To think of my heavenly Parent jumping up and rushing to my side when I'm overcome with cries of fear, pain, worry or doubt. How comforting to know that He hears my cries and is a "very Present Help" in times of trouble. (Psalm 46:1)
Psalm 18:6 says, "In my distress, I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice; my cry came before Him, into His very ears." He is listening right now, so call to Him today. Cry out to Him. Lift up your voice. Look...even now He is rising to meet you!
