Her name is Faith

Our oldest grand daughter was a preemie.
She arrived nearly 7 weeks early, weighing 2 pounds 11 ounces. A wonderful bright eyed, very tiny baby. Our first experience with grand parenting.
It was scary, and we were full of prayer. She had to stay in the neonatal side of the hospital for several weeks, and then they released her to come home early. She weighed only 3 pounds 9 ounces. She was healthy and precious and I knew I had to be a part of this child’s life. Our daughter needed to go back to work, and I quit my job to stay home, to nurture this vulnerable precious little baby.
She started out sleeping in an old fashioned, white wicker baby basket. I had found it at an antique shop, it was old and marvelous. When she slept she looked like a little doll, so tiny and precious. As she grew, we moved her upstairs into a crib and into our spare room.
I would leave the baby monitor on, and listen, as I was downstairs doing assorted chores and duties. It was nice, and we were used to the schedule we had grown accustomed to. She knew that was her room, and her space and her bed. It was safety to her.
As she grew older, she began to talk and play in the crib. It was wonderful.
I had the baby monitor on, so I could hear when she would woke up, knowing I might have to get her right away. My favorite memories, were of her waking up slowly, with her tiny baby voice and baby words. She would start by saying ‘Hi baby’ to the doll in her bed, ‘hi blankey, hi teddy’, she always had a menagerie of dolls, bears, blankets and who knows what else she ‘had’ to sleep with.
Valued items for a baby. I didn’t make a big deal about them. It was her bed and as long as she slept, I didn’t care what she took with her.
I would sit in my chair downstairs and listen to the wonderful ‘baby’ noises.
She and I laugh about it now. She is 10 almost 11 and in 5th grade, but she remembers my stories of long ago. She will say to me, “tell me about the time when I was in the crib”… “and I was saying ‘I am running’ “oh my daddy and I were laughing about that” then she would give me the full detailed report, of what I had shared with her so often. It was precious to me.
When she was a baby, I waited downstairs listening to her. She would say, ‘Nama’ (my name when she was very small) ‘I am running’ and I would hear the crib squeak and little feet scuff onto the crib mattress. Then she would say, ‘Nama, I am jumping’ and again the squeak of a crib mattress rubbing against a wire frame. She would jump with great joy, as a child so happy after a nap.
I learned how she needed to wake up slowly and enjoy the quiet time.
It brought me great joy to hear her sweet voice.
After a while it would become quiet. Then I would hear her say, ‘Nama, come get me’… ‘I want out’… ‘come get me Nama.’ ‘please get me out’. Her sad pitiful voice, knowing she herself could not get out of the crib, even if she wanted to do it.
As I think of this scene I often wonder, if God had a monitor on us, would he hear, “daddy I am running…I am jumping…I need you…please come get me…I want out…Please rescue me.”
I wonder, does He listen with the same smile I had; when I listened to my precious grand daughter?
He loves us just as much. He longs for us to say. “Daddy I want out, please come get me.”
We can open the door to our heart, as I opened the door to her room. It is easy.
I would see her reach out to me with a huge hug and smile. She knew I was her rescuer.
She knew, I would take her out of that room and into a different place. She was released into the arms of safety and held by the one she loved.
How is that so different from our relationship to God?
My challenge today is this; do we allow God to delight in us, as we ask Him to rescue and save us?
Do we say, daddy I need you? Do we realize that sometimes we cannot get out of a situation.
Just as Faith could not get out of her crib?
Unless He helps us. We are alone.
She knew she needed me.
We need to know… ‘we need God’.
Are you challenged today?
I pray that this writing gave you a picture of what ‘our daddy’ wants.
As he rescues, protects and rejoices in us.