I ached. My body had given up halfway into our six hour drive to the jungle. I was sandwiched between two sweaty teammates, it was impossible to move. Somewhere during the drive, I nodded off into the armpit of my teammate before being wakened by a sudden stop. Traffic. Traffic? Since when is there traffic in the Amazon? Mudslides. Why in the world am I doing this?
My body was drenched with sweat as my chacos sloshed in the mud. The hot sun was beating down on us as we walked to the village. We were led to a one roomed cabin and started to unpack. We set up our tents and hammocks while under the watchful eye of curious children. The children lured us to the field with their giggles. As I walked to the field a small little girl, belly bloated from parasites caught my eye. After much looking around she caught me staring. She looked in my eyes and smiled the brightest smile. For a few moments the world stopped. She had captivated me with her presence. Just when I thought she couldn’t steal more of me, she reached out her hands and ran to me. Her face lit up even more and as she stumbled my way she let out the wildest giggles. She paused for a moment at my feet before leaping into my arms demanding my attention.
Somewhere within my tired achey body I found the energy to throw her into the air. I would do this three more times before carefully setting her onto the ground. She laughed and ran away. For the moments I watched her walk away I found myself wishing to see that sweet smile again…then she turned around. She smiled the same wide smile, let out the same giggle, and again ran towards me. She reached her arms the same way but she didn’t pause at my feet. She knew I was going to catch her, so she jumped into me with all of her might. This pattern continued for an hour.
I later saw the importance of this reaction. This little girl helped me see Jesus in another way. Jesus is always staring at us whether or not our eyes are fixed on Him. The moment we catch His gaze, His arms are outstretched waiting to welcome us into His presence. In my opinion, one of the most misunderstood qualities of the Lord is how He runs. Through many different circumstances in my life He was running to me with His arms stretched open wide waiting to embrace me, but I was blind to Him. He was just waiting for me to look up and see that He had been staring at me through it all.
Chase after Him. Fearlessly leap into His arms and know that He is going to catch you. Let out your wildest of giggles while in His presence. Experience all the joy He has for you. Only turn your back with the intention of running back to Him. Let Him chase you. Let Him run to you, but have the eyes to see Him coming. Be romanced by the Lord. Fall in love with Him and all that He has for you.
