When your babies were born, did you get footprints of your child's foot? Or primary color handprints from Kindergarten? How about a growth chart--how did you measure your child's growth? Or maybe you are a reader who doesn't have children...what memories do you have of your parents capturing your growth?
When my daughter and I moved out of our house in 2012, I remember crying because I couldn't take her growth chart out of the house. I had noted her growth using a sharpie on the white background of the wall on my daughter's closet. From the age of 5 to age 12, I had religiously chronicled Maggie's growth. I left that record behind because I would have had to tear it out of our house.
I shouldn't have wasted my time despairing; in our new house, my daughter left her mark. As I passed by her handprint today, I put my hand over her print. I couldn't feel her, but I recalled the memory of this print. We were repainting walls as we had just moved into my dad's house and were in the process of buying the house from him. I didn't see this print right away; I noticed it later and said something about painting over it. Maggie said "No!" and I'm sure she also gave an explanation. She wanted the mark left there to memorialize the moment.
Here I am, 11 years later, recalling the event and feeling the shadow of her in the room with me. Often, this is how I think of the presence of God. He's in the room with me. His handprint is on the making of every good thing. I don't always take time to pause and recognize God's hand in creation, but when I do, I feel Him with me--even if His presence is a shadow or His voice is a whisper, God is always near.
My son had long graduated high school and was in college by the time Maggie and I moved. (I didn't intentionally leave him out; Jake had grown up in another house, and I had gone through this struggle once before.) Now, Maggie and Jake are both graduated from college and living their lives away from me. I carry their memories with me, close to my heart.
God, I carry in my heart...or more specifically, the Holy Spirit of God. I don't get this whole trinity trifecta thing very well, but the main point is this: God is with us, always and forever. He will never leave me, never forsake me. All God asks in return is my faith and love. God surrounds me, walks beside me, carries me--like the poem "Footprints in the sand."
However you need to write God's word on your heart or remember that He is near, do it. Make it so. Jesus loves you, and I do to. Get into a relationship with God and look for Him everywhere!
This I pray for you today,
Michelle
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