I was with some ladies this weekend sitting around in our pajamas talking late into the night. We talked about the differences between men and women, which are many! Women often need to shed a few tears, and we shed them for a variety of reasons. Sometimes we cry because we are happy, sometimes because we are sad, sometimes because we are mad, and often, just because we need to! To men, one cry looks like another; they can’t, and will never be able to distinguish between our different cries; unless we explain to them just why we are crying.
Another way that men and women differ is when it comes to intimacy. Men are wired to look at intimacy one way, and only one! Women, on the other hand, look at intimacy in many different ways. To a woman, intimacy can be sitting quietly and talking to her husband sharing her heart, or it can be snuggling up together on the couch after the kids have gone to bed and watching a movie. Intimacy for a woman can be her husband taking out the trash, vacuuming the carpet, bathing the kids, or washing the dishes after dinner. Sometimes, the greatest form of intimacy and security for a woman is just being held tightly in the arms of the man she loves and relies upon.
As we talked, I shared with my friends that one of the things I miss most with Mark’s condition is being held. When I am scared, lonely, and fearful, I long for him to hold me again. Because he has begun to shake when standing too long, and because he must be holding securely onto something, it is hard for him to hold me. I miss the warmth and security I felt when he would hold me. At times, I long to have him whole and able to hug me tightly and tell me everything is going to be alright- but he can’t.
At times, when my heart hurts so badly, I think I cannot possibly stand it another day, and I long to be held, the father hugs me! My Heavenly father sends what a good friend of mine calls “a hug from the father.” Sometimes she refers to the sweet things He does as a “kiss from Him.” His hugs for me come in many different forms. Some come in the form of emails and notes of encouragement. Some hugs come in the form of a gift that meets a specific need Mark and I have.
At the beginning of this journey, Mark and I started a “cash” envelope. Just a week ago, I removed the last $20 and at that point it was empty once again. I prayed, as I usually do, and said, “Lord, you know our cash envelope is empty- you fill it according to the needs we have.” Just two days later, a young lady called and ordered a cake. When she picked it up, she handed me cash. When I opened the envelope, she had added a little to the amount I had quoted her. I just smiled, remembering my prayer as I removed the last bill from the cash envelope. What a sweet hug from the father. When I have needed to be held, He has held me, telling me that everything is going to be alright and that He loves me very much!
I think of the widow and her empty jar, and how God told her to go and collect as many jars as she could. Then, he began to pour out the oil, filling every jar and providing for her and her son. When I read that story recently, it dawned on me that if she had collected a thousand more jars, he would have continued to fill them according to her need. What a hug and kiss the father gave to that widow! She was alone; she had no husband to provide for her or her son, no husband to hold her and tell her everything was going to be alright. When she needed to be held, He held her.
Perhaps, you are in need of being held tightly and hearing the words, “Do not worry. Everything is going to be alright. I love you, and I will take care of you. Trust me!” Go to the Father and ask him to hold you, to meet your need; he is waiting to reach out his precious, loving, powerful arms and draw you in tightly to his chest whispering, “Do not worry. Everything is going to be alright. I love you and I will take care of you. I love you more than you will ever know.”
Father, You know I have shed many tears as I grieve over what used to be. I have longed to be held in arms that will reassure me that everything is going to be alright. In those times, Your arms have reached down to draw me in and you have continued to whisper in my ear, “Oh, my child! Do not worry. Everything is going to be alright. I love you so very much and I will take care of you; you have no reason to be concerned. I know your every need, and I am the only One who can meet those needs.” Thank you, my sweet father, that You, not only meet them, but You go beyond and above all that I could imagine. When I need to be held, YOU hold me.”
“Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing to the Lord, for He has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.” Isaiah 12:4-6v
“For I am the Lord your God, who takes hold of you by your right hand and says to you, ‘Do not fear; I will help you. Do not be afraid.” Isaiah 41:13-14a
“And He said to His disciples, “For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life’s span? If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith! And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you.” Luke 12:22-32
dianne