Joy Ride

One morning recently I was sitting in my chair journaling and out of the blue I wrote…”Abba, I want to crawl up in your lap and just rest in your presence.” The next thought I had was that I don’t really know what that would be like. I mean really, what does it look like to be in our father’s lap, no matter what age we are?

Almost immediately after that thought, an image came into my mind. It was an image of my two-year-old granddaughter sitting on my lap while at our annual family get-away in September. The place we were staying has a golf cart that can be taken out on a bunch of groomed paths on the property. Stella’s parents were packing up to get ready to leave the weekend and I offered to take Stella for a ride to give them a break.

She sat on my lap as we took off for our little joy ride. I remember the look of pure joy on her face as we traversed the paths from one end of the property to the other. Every so often I would catch her just looking up and staring at me. I didn’t think much of it at the time, however, as I sat in my chair that morning I was struck by a deeper meaning.

I sensed that Abba was saying, “my son, that is what it looks like for you to sit on my lap.” Then he asked me to take a moment and ponder what Stella might have been feeling or sensing in those moments when she was staring up at her Papa. The words started to flow…content, safe, joyful, and adventurous were a few of the words that came. Huh, so as Stella sat safely in my lap, she was able to let all fear or apprehension go. She was able to fully embrace the pure joy of the ride because she felt safe and loved on her Papa’s lap.

You know, as I sat there that morning, I began to get a picture in my mind of what it looks like to sit on Abba’s lap. So often I enter the day looking at all of the different things that cause me to be at best uncomfortable, and at worst, fearful. If I am honest, I often do not feel joyful, content, safe, or adventurous, because I am not allowing myself to sit on my Papa’s lap and let him drive. Rather, I am hell-bent on grabbing the wheel thinking I have to do this by myself.  And if do not allow myself the gift of just sitting on his lap and letting him drive, I don’t get to experience the pure joy of the ride.

If there was ever a time when our hearts need to sense the safety of our Abba’s strength and control, it is now. There are so many situations, and voices that seek to distract us and keep us from experiencing the joy of the Lord.

As I sit here on January 1st and ask God for advanced words for 2021, I am hearing loud and clear…my son, who I love beyond measure, climb up here and sit on my lap. You are safe, and we are going to go for one heck of a ride.

– Pete