Post Two: "Is it Worth it?"

I love this picture of my nephew Kevin. It was taken on the 4th of July in Ohio. I told Kevin that his uncle Aaron was on his way to come and visit. Kevin lives in Maine and comes to Ohio for a few weeks every summer. He hadn’t seen Aaron on this trip and when I told him his uncle is coming this is what he did...

He yelled for excitement, found the drink cooler near the fence, stood on it and waited... and waited...looking over that fence watching every car pass by.

His excitement grew with every passing minute. When Aaron pulled up, I told Kevin to go and hide in the garage. So off Kevin ran. Aaron came through the back door and looked around for him. After a few minutes Kevin came running out of the garage with a giant smile giving Aaron the biggest hug ever.

See Kevin is the kind of kid that everyone loves because of his compassion and excitement for life. I love Kevin because he teaches me to care for others with great passion. He always gives the best hugs (squeezing to near death), is genuinely concerned for those around him, and desires deeply to know you and remind you that he cares for you.

I love this picture so much because it reminds me of Jesus. It reminds me of the prodigal father who waits for his son to return. It reminds me that if we look for God, we’ll find Him, that’s He’s simply peeking over the fence desperately waiting on us.

Sometimes we walk through the door and cannot find God. While God doesn’t hide from us, He does require us to notice him, to allow Him to hold us tight and remind us that we are loved.

I use this picture as my background on my iPhone so that each time I look at it I’m reminded of Kevin and reminded that God is waiting on me to notice Him.

For many people, and sometimes even for myself, I wonder... Is it worth it to run to Him? To find Him? To allow Him to embrace me when I find Him.

I’ve encountered many people who have lost hope in the worth of a relationship with God. I’ve seen how people have given up on Him and never choose to run and see Him behind the fence. So many don’t find the worth in a relationship because they have everything they need, or God seems too distant, or perhaps that God isn’t relational and loving.

But it’s worth it.

Every summer when I come home to visit I am reminded that it’s worth it when the life is squeezed out of me by a loving hug from Kevin. There’s never resentment, anger, or frustration in his hugs. It’s never a cordial side hug that lasts a second. It’s a full, rib squeezing hug that reminds me that I am missed, loved, and desperately wanted.

“But if you seek the Lord you will find Him if you look for HIm with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 4:29