LoveReign
a Love Affair with a SoveReign God
February 3rd, 2023
Child’sPlay
I John 3:1-2, ‘Consider the kind of extravagant love the Father has lavished on us—He calls us children of God! It’s true; we are His beloved children. And in the same way the world didn’t recognize Him, the world does not recognize us either. My loved ones, we have been adopted into God’s family; and we are officially His children now. The full picture of our destiny is not yet clear, but we know this much: when Jesus appears, we will be like Him because we will see Him just as He is.’
Aghast, she lowered the phone to her chest from her ear where she held it while counting to ten. ‘Ma’am?’ she heard the shrill voice on the other end of the line. She whispered to herself: Eight-and-a-half. Eight-and-three-quarters. Nine. Nine-and-a-quarter. ‘Are you still there?’ the voice demanded, grating on sawed-off nerves. The woman had no idea what it was like to walk in her shoes. For one long minute, she envisioned what it would be like to be the one to make the call; not the one receiving it. Again.
It was escalating, however. Once upon a time, it was as innocent as him biting the little girl who sat next to him or punching the kid standing in his way at the bus stop or stealing someone’s box lunch. That was child’s play, his mom thought silently to herself as she mumbled to the person on the other end, ‘Yes, ma’am. I’m still here.’ Her son was coming undone, and she was watching him unravel nearly in front of her. ‘I’ll be right there,’ she offered, as she reached for her coat and the keys to her car, wishing she was going anywhere other than the principal’s office.
Once she jetted out to the freeway, she commanded Siri place a call to her husband. She wasn’t sure why; he wouldn’t be able to meet her and the fireworks would be even more explosive if he could. But somehow the shared experience felt less heavy, like carrying a weighted burden together made it seem lighter and more manageable. She sucked back the tears as the warmth of his voice spread through the car speaker. ‘To the school office,’ she responded, as he asked her where she was driving. ‘To meet with the principal,’ she added. Sobs cloaked her words suddenly like a cold day and she had to get ahold of herself before she could continue. ‘He choked this girl when she wouldn’t move to a different table,’ she wept, her voice waterlogged. ‘He’s been expelled, baby. What are we going to do?’ she whaled. Whining didn’t become her, but they had worked long and hard to rise above the status quo of their families. Everything was coming apart at the seams, including their little boy, the one they had prayed and longed for so long.
~ We have all been there. That surprise announcement, an unexpected phone call, the unsuspecting person, a startling revelation, a tragic accident, the unforeseen, that sudden dread in the pit of our stomach, those words we never wanted to hear, the unknowing and the unraveling. Then. What happens with the disappointments in the hands of an all-knowing, sovereign God? What is on the other side of the tarnished coin?
That was months ago. The new school year had leapt to a vibrant start. Her son was the first one to bounce out of the car and hold the door open for his friend who carpooled with him. ‘See ya tonight, Mom! Don’t forget we have football practice ‘til five,’ he tossed over his shoulder as he ran toward the entrance of the school. He was like an entirely different child. Who would have thought? she smiled to herself.
It had taken some gut-punches, diligence, hard work. They’d gone deep-sea diving for the hurt, the brokenness, the anger they never knew from where it had come. They had fished through weeds of trauma and schools of swimming resentment, and finally, they’d reeled in the big one, the silent anguish which had stolen her little boy’s childhood…almost. She’d never understood what he had been through and had never known the questions she should have asked nor the comfort he had needed. Not until it came to the ugliest of heads and they were forced to face, not ignore, what was right before them.
It had all seemed so debilitating at the time, so embarrassing too. But as she pulled away from the school with one final wave before she drove away, she recognized every single detail as it had fallen into place. God had been working all things out all along; they had simply needed to be obedient and trust Him and be pliable in the hands of a loving and sovereign God.
“When we feel like we are not good enough to be loved by God, we should remember that God’s love is greater than our doubts. We must silence the sounds of condemnation so we can hear the voice of God’s loving assurance and remember that He has selected us to be part of His family”. (The Voice, Bible Gateway)
