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The Embrace of
God’s Love
By Mary Jo
McConnell
July 29, 2002
Prayer
is challenging at times. A lot of times, in fact. All too often life’s
distractions pull me away, and unfortunately, prayer becomes just another item
on my “to do” list. My church has an active, ongoing 24-hour prayer
ministry. Every three months I’m on the schedule to arise at 5:00 a.m. and
spend an hour in worship, praise and prayer. I feel honored to be able to do
this. Well, that is until the alarm rings at 4:55 a.m. when I had just managed
to fall into bed only four short hours prior. There have been many mornings, I
must confess, that I lasted all of five minutes and mumbled words to God like,
“Thank you for your understanding and grace!” as I fell asleep kneeling at
my living room sofa. Other times I have said to God, “I will just pray right
here from the comfort of my warm bed,” but within a few minutes my prayers
turn into zzzzzzzzzzzzzz’s! Thankfully, not every day is like this. Most
mornings I am grateful to begin my day with this appointment with the Lord. My
day never fails to turn out a little better when I start out with prayer.
One
night not long ago, I was praying one of those relaxed, thankful, contented
prayers where I say, "God, you are beyond cool!" It felt like such a
joy just to be in God’s presence, and to just have the opportunity to come
before Him in such a personal way. I began thinking about my relationship with
God. The road has not always been easy, but I felt closer to Him then more than
ever before. I struggled for a way to describe this new closeness with God. Was
it like a ship that has to maneuver among the dangerous rocks and waves before
it reaches the shore? No, that's not really it. Like a misty Spirit swirling all
around me? Well, I've felt that at times, but that was not quite it, either.
Then the answer came to me, so simple—God’s love is like a hug! Not your
every day, half-hearted, obligatory, pat-on-the-back, how-ya-doin’ hug, but
rather like the embrace of a good friend you haven't seen in a while or your
favorite cousin or a long lost, childhood friend.
The
phrase "drawing close to God" used to mean just feeling closer to Him
and being in His presence, but once I actually got to that place, I realized
just standing before Him wasn't enough. When I opened up everything in my life
to Him, I was drawn in, embraced, picked up and swirled around. It was like God
holding tightly to me in a strong yet loving grip. Unfortunately, I am the one
who gets uncomfortable after a while and pulls away.
Merriam-Webster
defines the word "embrace" as “to clasp in the arms, cherish,
encircle, to take up, adopt, welcome, include, comprehend, involve, encompass,
and accept.” My heart was warmed when I read these descriptions as this
perfectly describes God’s love for His people.
My
daughters, Katie and Emily, give the best hugs in the world because they are my
kids. We totally accept each other as we are. There's nothing to hide, nothing
to fear (well, at least until they're teenagers!). My three-year-old nephew,
Aaron, affectionately nicknamed me “Joh.” Like a normal preschooler,
sometimes he'll let me hug him, but then other times, he says, "No, Johhh!!!"
and wriggles out of my grasp. I let him go because forced hugs are not fun! This
is how God is with us. He won't force the closeness. When we break away, He lets
us go, albeit regretfully, I'm sure.
I
don’t think I will ever hug the same again! Shortly after I had considered
God’s love as an embrace, a dear friend approached me after service one
evening and embraced me. As I wrapped my arms around her, I began to weep. In my
mind, this was not my friend, but God Himself surrounding me, enclosing me,
accepting me, pulling me in. And I determined right there never to be the first
to let go.
“The
Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an
everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee” (Jeremiah 31:3).
ninetyandnine.com
©
2002, Mary Jo McConnell
---------
Mary
Jo McConnell
lives in a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri, with her husband, Mike, and daughters,
Katie and Emily, where she is learning to embrace God’s love and plan for her
life.
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