Everlasting Arms #Valentinesday

I'm enjoying fatherhood immensely. Then again, when I say immensely I'm referring to the lessons God continues to reveal to me about Himself through being a father to Gwyneth. 

This evening as we put Gwyneth to bed she really was not interested in settling down on our time-table. She fussed and cried enough after being in bed for a while to warrant some additional attention. Being the gallant hero I am, I figured I should be the one to help settle her down. So off to her room I traipsed, pulled out the rocking chair from the wall, and plopped myself down into its' depths with my fussy daughter. Because I didn't feel particularly keen on singing to her tonight, I decided to flip through some music located on the nearby iPod. Gwyneth's all-time favorite song is "Raven" by Jewell but I would enjoy seeing her begin to expand her music tastes. Not only is "Raven" a nonsensical song, but there are only so many times you can play a song on repeat before losing your mind (parents' amen here!). 

After flipping through a couple of different options such as the main theme to Braveheart, and Gabriel's Oboe played by Yo-Yo Ma, I finally landed on the last three songs from the Lord of the Rings Return of the King soundtrack. I love soundtracks, as evidenced by my modest collection of over thirty of them. Gwyneth quieted down but then decided she was not going to be ready to fall asleep for a while yet. I kept rocking away, hoping she would become drowsy soon. I knew I may not have had to stay rocking GJ for as long as I did but I wanted to listen to those three songs in their entirety, and I'm glad I did. 

As "Into the West" by Annie Lennox began, I was overcome with emotion as I rocked my precious daughter. I thought, "Here I am rocking my precious girl to sleep, and this is exactly what God does with me when my world appears to be turning upside down. Just as my arms are encircling her, warding off the night, monsters, or any harm from this little life, so God is doing the exact same thing with things in my own life. I may not always see his arms around me, yet nevertheless they never leave me alone." I could not stop the tears from welling up and washing away the false sense of security I tend to permit to creep around my soul. This is not the first time this realization has struck me. I may kick, scream, and struggle as the challenges of life are hurled at me but the arms of God never ever leave me alone. 

I'm not sure where you currently are in your life circumstances this day after Valentine's day. Perhaps you're desperately longing for the love and affection you've convinced yourself can only be found in a relationship with someone else. Perhaps you're in a relationship with someone, but you still feel lonely. Perhaps...(you fill in the blank). I've been where some of you are today. Believe me, I get it. What I forgot to see both then and now, are the faithful everlasting arms of a God who will never leave me alone. He will never leave you alone, in fact He is always with you! Take comfort in this reality regardless of your relationship status.

His arms never left me and His arms will never leave you.