While volunteering at the Farmer's Market recently, I witnessed a moment of grace. A man walked in with a little boy who was crying as only a two-year-old can cry. He wouldn't hold his father's hand. He wouldn't talk to his dad or listen to him. He just cried.
The father coaxed the child to the area with tables and chairs and took a seat to wait. The little boy went from table to table crying, exclaiming, "No!" and occasionally looking back at his father to see if he was still there.
The dad sat patiently watching his child. He didn't bargain, beg, cajole, or reprimand. The father just waited. After a while the little boy stopped fussing and approached his dad. The man got up, took his son's hand, and said, "Come on, Buddy," and they went for a walk together.
The little boy knew his daddy loved him without conditions. The father let his son be a little boy and grow at his own pace. The child could return to his father knowing his dad had waited for him even when he was acting like a two-year-old. And the dad rested in the love that flowed between himself and his child.
As I watched the scene unfold, I was put in mind of how patiently God waits for us to return to him. Whether we are wandering lost in the land of our ego or crying in anger and frustration or hiding in shame, God waits. When we are able, we return and God takes our hand.
- CLAUDIA MERRITT
Re-published from "spirit", St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Richmond, VA
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