Insomnia hit me early in the morning…or was it Holy Spirit waking me up to spend time with them? After watching the last part of a video recording about “Bedtime Stories with God”, eating a snack, and drinking some tea, I found myself starting to close my eyes to drift back to sleep. But I’m still sitting on our back staircase that leads to the kitchen and I need to go back to bed. In an instant, still with my eyes closed, I can picture Jesus standing at my feet and reaching out a hand saying, “Come on. Let’s go.” I begin to get up, but instead of just taking his hand I jump in his arms just as my 8-year old son still jumps in mine. And Jesus carries me up the stairs! I’m fully content with my adult arms wrapped around his neck and my head laying on his shoulder. I begin to giggle a bit as I’m now “watching myself” get carried up the stairs, but then I begin to cry because Jesus’s heart is revealed and I realize that he will carry us anytime we will allow him to. He carried me without effort and was so pleased to do so.
I then remembered a time when I was sneered at by someone when a taller-than-average 7-year old foster child jumped into my arms – upon my prompting – when it was time to say goodbye. It didn’t bother me a bit and I even held her a few seconds longer because I knew she hadn’t been held in that way enough times in her younger years. I remembered holding a 10-year old boy in my arms as I rocked him back and forth as a baby when he was scared. And I remembered holding so many others in similar ways – always as they needed at that particular moment.
I’m so blessed that no one gives me a hard time in my household when I still sometimes carry my 8-year old son up to his room when he asks me to – although now it’s a piggy-back ride because he’s so heavy! But this summer, Chase had fallen asleep in the car and I was determined to carry my then 7-year old son up to bed. I huffed and puffed, but I made it up the stairs without waking him all the while knowing that it would be the last time! And dad just smiled. He knew nothing was going to get in my way. 😉
But the next time I’m ever in this position again – either carrying an older kiddo on my back or a younger one in my arms – I’ll whisper to them that Jesus will always be there to carry them at any time, anywhere, and at any age.
