The Divine Crash

The walk of shame.  When a college student stumbles back into their dorm after a long night of partying, usually with messed up hair and the same clothes on.  Everyone can see what they are doing and everyone knows why. Have you ever experienced this?  I was not cool enough to experience this.  However, I have just become privilege to the parents version of the walk of shame.

Last week, my wife and I took our kids to an indoor water park in Erie, PA.  It was great, we had a blast and we are well refreshed after three days and two nights away from church/school work.

While running around and generally having fun my three year old son says “I want to go on a slide.” So we grab a tube and wait in line.  We only waited about five minutes and we get up to the top and my son FREAKS OUT!  He started shaking and crying.  He did not want to get in the inner tube and the fact he was going in a tube was freaking him out.  At this point people behind us are waiting and the lifeguard is looking at us and tapping her foot wanting us to hurry up.

I gave in.

I didn’t force him.  I simply pick him up, left the inner tube and started back down the steps.

Walking down those steps while my son has a death grip around my neck was heart wrenching.  Mostly because my son was so terrified he left nail marks on my neck but also because of the looks.

Those looks from parents that said “how dare you terrify your child with that slide” and “you should have forced your child to make them tough.”

All the while my son was crying I was whispering into his ear that I had him and I would not let anything hurt him and he would be safe as long as I held him.

In that moment I understood what it was to do the walk of shame that I missed in college.

In that moment I got a glimpse of what it was to be a Christian and follow Jesus.

In heaven, God saw how terrified we were and how fear has made us stuck and unable to move.  God had a decision to make, force us to move or pick us up and carry us back to safety.

God picked the second option.

In order to pick us up God became flesh, went to the cross, and died not so we could become tough and work hard but so that we could grip the neck of God and be carried back to safety.

God did the walk of shame for us, for you.  All we can do is put a strangle hold on the neck of God and listen to God whispering in our ear “I love you.  You are my child I will always hold you.  You are safe as long as I have you.”

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Family by RevBT