Burden
This is part of the Five Minute Friday prompts. It is a challenge to free write for 5 minutes and then post it without edits. The post this week is “Burden”.
My little girl waddled into our room, climbed into bed, snuggling between my husband and me.
As I looked down at her beautiful face, I began to tear up. She is two and a half. She is innocent. She is sweet. She is sassy and sometimes disobedient. She is funny, and her smile lights up a room. When she was born, our life was full.
But this morning when I looked at her, all I saw was fear. I can't protect my daughter from the guns that fill schools. I can't keep her safe from the bullets that tear through our society, in houses of worship, bars, movie theaters and anywhere else that people congregate.
I can't shield my child from the hate that is so easily spewed by our politicians. The white nationalistic language threatens to distort her vision of people and racism continues to build walls in our community. And I can't keep out the hate.
I can't protect my daughter from the evils of this world. I can't protect the children that attend my ministry or the kids that ride their bikes through our neighborhood. I can't keep the evil at bay, and it feels like it is crushing in on us.
But as the burden felt like it was crushing in on me, my daughter grabbed my cheeks and said, "I love you." Just like that, the burden began to melt away.
I can't keep her safe, but my love for her can show her God's love. And God's love does keep the evil at bay. He sees the headlines of our papers and cries. He sees the sorrow of our people and weeps. He sees the hate and mourns.
But this world does not crush him under the weight of evil. Instead, his love, manifested in his son who gave his life for us, brings his kingdom here.
So that one day, we won't wake up to news of another mass shooting.
Because his kingdom is coming one day, hate won't win.
So today, I'm giving up this burden and taking on the mantle of love.
