I was exhausted. For the last two months I had only been getting between 4-5 hours of sleep a night and the last thing I wanted to do was sit up with a sick child. So when my daughter came into my room at 2:00 in the morning, coughing and sneezing and asking if I would be willing to come in her room and lay down with her, you can imagine my reaction. I could tell you how holy I was in that moment and how I jumped up, put my robe on and went and rubbed her back until she fell asleep, but I’d be LYING to you. LOL. Instead, my reaction went something like “ Oh heck no. I’m exhausted and laying next to you coughing and sneezing for the next 4 hours is the last thing I’m about to do.” Defeated, she walked out of my room and went to lay on the couch in the basement hoping that the TV would be her comforter.
Meanwhile, the Lord was not about to allow me to get off that easily. LOL. For the next hour I tossed and turned and could not fall back asleep. Frustrated, I finally grabbed my phone and looked up the devotional for the day in hopes that reading might help me fall back to sleep. The bible verse for the day was Psalm 116:12 “What can I offer the Lord for all he has done for me?” As I pondered that verse I asked the Lord “ What can I do for you God? You have done so much for me and my family how can I possibly repay you for your love and kindness?” I paused and listened, waiting patiently for His response. I was sure it was going to be something to the effect of “Sell everything and come follow me to Africa” or “Empty everything in your bank account and help “said person” get back on their feet”. But when I finally heard His response it was anything but extravagant. Quietly and tenderly His response finally came. “Michelle, will you go downstairs and comfort my daughter Shylah for me? That’s what you can do for me.” I had to chuckle (and shake my fist at the same time). Of course the most important and pressing issue on my Father’s heart was that which is most near and dear to him: His daughter. And you know what that meant for me, right? I had to get my crabby, selfish, hypocritical self out of bed and follow my Father’s leading to the only situation that mattered to him in that moment.
So often we think that God’s most important causes are those of monumental significance: finding a cure for cancer, ending sex trafficking, feeding a 3rd world country, world peace, etc. Those issues are absolutely important to God, but they will never trump his greatest call to love the person right in front of you. We try so hard to over-complicate it. It can’t possibly be that simple. We are convinced, most of the time, that pleasing God or doing something great for the Kingdom has to entail something insurmountable. But it is that simple. And when we spend too much time searching for that big idea that God wants us to pursue, we miss the most urgent matter on His heart and that is to love the person next to us.
My daughter looked up at me, tissue stuffed nostrils and all, as she heard my footsteps coming towards her. “What are you doing?” she asked. “I thought you were tired?” “I was,” I told her. “But God asked me to come down and cuddle with you.” “HE DID?!” she shouted. “Mama, I was just praying to God to please help me because I’ve never felt this sick in my life.” Immediately my eyes welled up with tears as I saw the relief and gratefulness in my daughter’s eyes as she realized that God actually cared about her terrible cold…and sent me in response to her prayer.
God never ceases to amaze me. His desire to take such loving care of His kids will always be His most important priority. Nothing in all of creation will ever come before this matter. How special and loved we both felt in that moment as He reminded me of that. And suddenly I completely forgot how exhausted and sleep deprived I was.