For those who don't know my Rylee-girl, she is pretty fearless. Most days you can find her cannon-balling off the back of the couch or jumping off the recliner onto the floor. This girl isn't afraid of much. She loves to explore and do things the "Rylee way." With that being said, there have been a few times within her short little life that that I have seen pure fear in her eyes. One time that stands out to me is when we had Catalyst, the young adults group of our church, at our house in June. She had been napping all afternoon and by the time she woke up, most everyone had arrived. She wasn't expecting to wake up to a house full of people that she isn't familiar with. She was fearful. She grasped my leg and didn't want to let go. Her eyes were huge as she scanned the room looking for a familiar face. She eventually reached her arms up to me and wanted me to pick her up. As I held her, she held tight to my arm and laid her head over on my chest. I kept reassuring her that it was alright. I even tried to tell her that Luke, her cousin whom she adores, was outside. Eventually she warmed up to the crowd and realized that her cousins had been there all along and went on to play outside. I thought about it that evening how even though there wasn't anything to fear or any danger in sight, she didn't know that. All she knew was that she was afraid of the situation and momma was a safe place for her to hide- I was her refuge. This reminds me of our relationship with our Heavenly Father. His word assures us many times that He is our refuge, our safe place to hide and our fortress. A few of my favorite verses on this are:
"Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress."
"But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble."
The last part of that second one says that He is our refuge in times of trouble. Refuge literally means "shelter or protection from danger or distress." Even though there wasn't any danger to Rylee, she couldn't see that. She couldn't see past her situation, but Momma could. I knew she was safe. I knew that even if there was danger lurking, I was there to protect her. Much like Rylee in that situation, we often find ourselves in places in life that feel very unsure. We can't see past our own circumstances to see that God is our protection, our refuge in our very time of need. His word tells us in John 16:33 "... In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” When you really think about that verse, your problems don't seem so monumental anymore. God has conquered the world so our problems are a piece of cake for Him! I want to encourage you that next time you are in a situation that makes you feel afraid or unsure to remember that GOD is our refuge. Just as a momma's arms to a child are a safe place to hide, so is our Heavenly Father's love. He is as close as the very mention of his name.
