By: Ginger Hughes
“Hold me, Mama,” my little one said, as I was unloading the dishwasher one morning after breakfast.
“I will son. Give me just a minute,” I replied.
I felt a little hand tug on my shirt, and once again he asked me to pick him up. “I’m almost finished,” I uttered again with a sigh as I worked faster trying to finish this simple task.
A moment passed when he said, “I need to be held, Mama, and I need you to hold me.” His voice was quiet and solemn.
I stopped, looking down into his earnest eyes.
I laid the dishtowel down because my grown-up heart understands the need to be held, and because my mama’s heart understands that while anyone can hold my babies, at times, only I can adequately hold their hearts. I picked him up, his long legs dangling down. Wrapping his little arms around my neck and laying his head on my shoulder, he relaxed into his mama’s love.
And I held him.
I won’t always be able to comfort him or erase the heartache he feels merely by holding him. And as he grows older, and his little legs longer, there will come a time when I can no longer pick him up. There will come a day when his troubles, his brokenness, and his fears won’t diminish with my touch.
Who will hold him then?
Isaiah 41:10 says, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
No matter what my children face, no matter what your children face, or what you or I may encounter, we can trust that our God will hold us. He will always be faithful and never let us go. When the door we hoped would open closes. When the way before us seems dark. When fear lays heavy on our hearts. When anxious thoughts churn in our minds. When utter despair settles deep in our souls. Wherever we are, God holds us.
He holds our tears.
He quiets our storms.
He comforts our sorrow.
He heals our brokenness.
He redeems our souls.
We can never outgrow God’s protection and provision. We will never be too old, too young, too sinful, too unworthy, or too broken for God’s love. God is our ultimate comforter, and He is the One who ultimately holds our hearts. And just as my son relaxes into my love completely trusting I’ll take care of him, we too can let go, relaxing into God’s love, completely trusting that He will never let us go.
-Ginger Hughes is the wife of a pastor, a mother of two and an accountant. She is a Georgia native currently living in the foothills of North Carolina. Her passion for writing is fueled by the desire to offer encouragement, grace and a deeper understanding that we are all God’s children. Her blogging for Nurturing Faith is sponsored by a gift from First Baptist Church of Gainesville, Ga. Additional writings may be found at nomamasperfect.com.
