“Run After Her!”
Posted by karlahagan on Feb 21, 2013 in A Story, Blog | 0 comments
“So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” Luke 15:20
I love the stories in Luke 15 – stories of Father God’s love. In the Lost Sheep, he won’t stop until he finds each one of us. However broken or weak we might be, he deems us important enough to find. In the Lost Coin, I also see a crazy love. He will look under every cushion to find us. No matter that he already has 9 coins, the search for the lost one is worth it. And then there is the story of the Prodigal Son. A son comes to his father and tells him that he has decided to leave; he wants his share of the inheritance and no strings attached. So, he sets off and squanders every penny. In the depths of his despair and bad choices, he makes the decision to go home. I always picture the father standing at his front window looking out down the road. At first glance of his son, he reacts in crazy love – he runs to his son, throws his arms around him and kisses him. There is no settling to be done, no consequences to discuss, no guilt to pour on. His Father runs after him!
I was reading some pages in my journal the other day, and I came upon this story of Ron and Ada. It is an amazing story of Ron’s love for Ada, and I wanted to share it with you. In many ways, I believe that Father God calls us to run after our children just as he has already run after us.
December 12, 2007
Ada had some difficult moments yesterday, moments of attitude and defiance. Ron did a great job holding the line with her and not allowing the small incident to go unnoticed because of convenience and the fact that he just got home. So, Ada spent some time in her room for a timeout and then had to go back again. At this moment, Ron and I are usually trying to out-shout Ada and make sure she is aware of how she is fouling up. Perhaps you are the opposite extreme, and you just try to ignore the bad choices, because you just don’t have the energy to deal with it. Or maybe you go for the bribe, you know, bait your children out of the bad choices with the promise of a treat or threat. I believe I have done it all.
But for Ron in this moment, he chose another way. When he took her into our room for the second time, he placed her on the bed and then he sat down on the rocking chair opposite her and said nothing. The silence unnerved Ada. What was he doing? And why is he not shouting or something? Ada was in her usual bad choice stance – screaming and kicking. And in the midst of her outburst, Ron decided to start praying for her out loud. In the midst of this prayer, Ada stopped screaming and crawled up into his lap. Amazing! The fight left her.
As they sat together in the rocking chair, she admitted that Satan was trying to get his way, and she knew that, and she wanted to go in God’s way. Second Amazing! They had a long time talking together and with his help, Ada found her path back to joy. Third Amazing! I mean sometimes these fits of hers last for quite some time, and some times, there are lots of names called or things broken in her room. I guess by now, you have figured out she is a “strong-willed” child.
I just couldn’t believe that his prayer diffused her anger, to the point that she would seek his lap in submission. What in the world did he say in that prayer? Later, Ron and I were talking, and he just said – “I decided to run after her. In her defiance, I ran for her heart in my prayer. I got past my issues and called it what it was – a battle over her heart. And she is worth it.”
First, celebrate Father God’s running to you. He runs after your heart. You are worth it to him. Second, run after your children’s hearts in those moments of disobedience. It will flesh out differently every time, but as you discipline, stay in the love and the bigger story. Pursue their heart, not the symptoms. Ask questions and seek to understand the root of the behavior. Seek Father God on their behalf and walk in his wisdom. They are worth it too!
