By Mark Briggs
he noise was intense, the scents varied, and the gestures were numerous and dramatic. The room was crowded, filled with humans doing what humans do. In the middle of this blur of motions one tiny and seemingly insignificant movement caught my eye. All the way across an ocean of people, my one-year-old grandson was reaching for me. Not only were his arms fully extended in my direction, but his pudgy little hands were opening and closing in a rhythmic cadence that spoke a dialect of love that he and I share. His body language was saying, Come to me, hold me, I want to be with you!
In that instant, I neither saw nor heard anything but him. It was as if we had our own private channel of communication. I honed in on his beckoning plea and negotiated a path to him. Nothing else mattered but him. There were some powerful people present that would shake my hand or say affirming words to me that day. But all that faded in comparison to his reach. In fact, it was his reach that made him more significant than anything or anyone else at that time.
I remember thinking, Does anyone else see this? I wanted everyone to know how I was loved, needed, and admired. For a moment, I imagined I was in the slow-motion clip of a movie and people were noticing every detail of this passionate exchange between a grandson and his Pop. His uninhibited expression to be with me would be the ultimate compliment on this day.
I wonder if our reach for The Heavenly Father is noticeable. Does anyone else see it? Is it a token or does it involve our motion and emotions? The greatest compliment you could ever pay Him is the compliment of reach. Not only your arms reaching up and out, but your very heart feeling and reciprocating the compassion He has for you.
For too long we have underestimated the power of a reach. A reach is a genuine heartfelt activity that causes us to stretch beyond comfortable. It’s our way of saying to God, “I’m passionately interested.”
Your tears have a way of descending to depths never visited.
Your shouts climb mountains where the air is fresh.
Your dance has a way of stomping the head of any serpent of harm.
Your voice is recognizable because it was His breath that gave it air.
Allow your deep to call unto His deep.
With all stops out and everything that’s within you, just reach!
Jesus’ brother, James, said to reach out for God and He will reach out for you ( James 4:8, my paraphrase).
Pay your heavenly father a compliment! He’s not that hard to reach.