The Touch of A Father’s Hand
Our kids got to experience flying in an airplane for the first time. On the trip down to Florida, Drew, who is almost 3, did great until we started getting close. With about 30 minutes left in the flight, he started getting restless. He wanted to get out of his seat and you could see the concern in his eyes. He was sitting beside me and I reached out my hand and he looked at me and finally grabbed my hand. That was all it took, the touch of a father’s hand. As soon as he grabbed my hand, he started calming down. Within minutes he was asleep.
Isn’t that how we are in life. When we start getting concerned, when we start getting restless, we need to look for the Father’s hand. He is always extending His hand, and we must realize that He wants us to be calm and just trust Him. In light of last week’s tragedy this means even more. I have been restless, I have been worried, I have felt helpless. We have so many youth that I have taught that were affected by the tragedy at Tech.
Lorianne was in church Sunday. She was friends with 3 of the victims of the shooting. She and Sarah were just a few doors down the hall in the dorm where the first shooting took place. Phil was roommates with one of the victims and Lori was friends with him. And all the students were affected beyond anything I could imagine. Tech is a huge campus, but yet it is a close tight-knit community and it seems like everyone has some type of connection to the victims.
Jenni and I are going down to Blacksburg one night this week to meet up with as many of our former students as we can. I ask for your prayers as we minister to those who are hurting. I do think that God is extending His hand and just asking us to trust him. He wants us to be calm and not be restless, He wants us to sleep safely in His arms.