When I was a little girl, every night after supper I jumped down from my chair, ran around to the other side of the table, and climbed up into my daddy’s lap. Sometimes I had to ask first, “Daddy, can I sit in your lap now?” because he might not be quite through eating. But if he were through, or almost through with his supper, he’d push back from the table, turn his chair sideways, I was welcomed.
I’d snuggle up in his lap with my back against his chest, my head laid back on his left shoulder, and his left arm cozily around me. We always laughed when my fine hair invariably caught in his heavy, 12-hours-old beard and tickled his face. Chuckling, he’d wipe my hair away from his face while I tried to scootch down a bit further in his lap so my hair wouldn’t tickle him so much. He’s ask me how my day went, what happened, what all I had done, in general hearing about my life from my perspective. If he had questions, we’d discuss whatever he wanted to know more about, trying to understand my heart.
On other occasions, when Daddy had to discipline me (never because of what I told him at “lap time”) and I was left crying, with my feelings more hurt than anything else, he required that I come to his lap after my punishment was over. Then he talked to me, hugged me, made sure I understood how and why my behavior was not acceptable in our home. What I had to do to meet with his approval was always clear. Do what he said! No ambiguity! I always knew that he “meant business” about my behavior. My parents had expectations of my behavior which were taught, were reasonable, were consistent, and were not to be ignored!
Even after I had acted “naughty,” my daddy loved holding me. I always loved that he held me so freely. He loved that I came to him with joys, hurts, problems, successes, laughter, tears. I loved him because he loved me so. Everything in my life was a “good excuse” to go to my Daddy’s lap. My Daddy’s lap always meant unconditional love! All I had to do to know it again was to come to him!
In Mark 10:14, Jesus said, “Let the little children come unto me.” In the eyes of Jesus and Jehovah, we are all little children. Our God, our heavenly Father, wants us, His children. to come to him with everything in our lives: our questions and understandings, our laughter and tears, our successes and dissappointments, our fears and comforts, when we hurt and when we rejoice, when we cry and when we laugh, when we know we have sinned and when we have served Him well. He wants to be the most important part of our total lives. He wants us, in effect, to sit on His lap, to share with him all things in our lives, to give him our cares, wants, thanks, joys, love. We can’t physically sit on the lap of Jesus or of God as I did my Daddy’s lap. Instead, we can spirtiually come to our “Abba,” Father (Rom 8:15) through Jesus Christ, mentally curl up in His lap, and empty our hearts to Him.
His loving arms will be wrapped around us, ready at all times to lift us up in love and show us again the way to serve God and others. Anything in our hearts and minds is a perfect “excuse” to go to His lap.
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Beloved Father, thank You so much for always waiting, ready at any moment to listen to our thoughts, our prayers, on any occasion. On this earth we cannot begin to understand the depths of your love and kindness toward us in sending Jesus Christ so we can be ransomed from our transgressions, so that we may come before you with all this is on our hearts. We gratefully acknowledge what You have done for us and give You all the praise and glory and thanks for Who You are, for what You have done, and for what You do for us continually. By your loving care, help us to know You more, and in our knowing you, to constantly learn from You how to daily join in the glorious life of our salvation by serving You and others more fully. Through Jesus, our Lord and Savior, Amen.
Marilyn Schulze
Stephenville, Texas
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