Thought of the day #25

“I’ve been avoiding you.” That’s a statement a mom told me at a weekend for parents to learn parenting skills. I was one of the speakers and shared about caring for your inner child as you care for your children.

During my session, parents were crying, one got so emotional she walked out for part of it and came back in towards the end.

As everyone was making their way out, I stopped her and asked if we could get some time together. She said okay.

There was a break and as I saw her walking, I took the opportunity to approach her and asked if we could go to a quiet place and sit and talk. Once we were seated that’s when she said she was avoiding me.

After we talked, it became clear she needed the space to process some heavy things going on. She said that as I spoke on caring for your inner child, she recognized that there was un-dealt trauma she experienced that she had not faced. She was able to be vulnerable about some deep wounds and recognized she needed to get help. She was grateful I stopped her because she said she had planned on avoiding me de rest of the day.

This interaction made me think of how much God chases after me to comfort me and meet my needs. He wants to listen to me and wants me to recognize when I am avoiding Him because of wounds that I have allowed to get in the way of “sitting” with him.  Even if I avoid him, I am grateful he doesn’t give up in chasing after me.

“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? [13] And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. [14] In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.” Matthew 18:12-14 NIV