Playground

Oh, child, I see you. I see you, Precious one. I see you. Your heart anxious, your head jumbled. I see you. You're on the monkey bars. You see the path ahead of you and you have decided to travel it. So you work. You reach up and hold on as tightly as you possibly can to what you think will get you to the other side. You put every ounce of your effort, your thinking, your energy, your heart, into just getting to the next rung. But- you miss. You've fallen. You hurt yourself. But, determined and stubborn as you are, you get back up again, telling yourself to just... Try harder. Maybe, maybe you'll get it this time. I watch you. I watch you continuing to strive in your own strength, continuing to strive in your own will. I'm telling you the better way; do you hear me? You've gotten a little further and you are almost to the other side you think. But you fall again. Look at your hands- they are raw. I know those blisters on your hands hurt. You're holding on so tightly that you are actually injuring yourself. And you will tire out on the bars. You will run out of energy and everything else.There's an easier way. Listen to me. Listen. The monkey bars are hard. The monkey bars are all about you and you alone. You have no choice but to work hard there. But- you have another option. Come to the swing set, my darling. Here, it's not about you working at all. The swing will move, you just move with it. You wont get blisters, because with the swing you don't have to hold on so tightly. The swing holds you up, so your weak arms don't have to. At times over here, you'll feel like you are soaring. Other times you might get a small queazy feeling in your stomach, and you'll be afraid. But don't be. You'll soon realize there's nothing to be afraid of and the scary parts when the chain buckles actually makes it that much more thrilling. What's more, I'll be there- standing behind you, telling you its ok. I'll be there, on the swing next to you, challenging you to go higher and higher. Or sometimes I tell you to close your eyes and leap. You'll be afraid there too, but you realize that I'm there in front of the swing, catching you as you land. Come to the swing set, my darling.


Papa,
I'm working so hard to get to you. But I just keep falling. You tell me Your grace is enough, but I just keep working. I hear your call to the swingset, but working on the monkey bars is what I know. It's what we all know. We work and work to get to you, but we end up falling on our faces with blisters on our hands. I want to soar. I want to rely on your grace alone. The other side of this playground seems so wonderful yet scary at the same time."My grace is sufficient for you" I hear you calling. You are calling me to the swingset, Daddy, and I am coming.