As a mother of three young children, I often look into their lives and can see pictures of God, set up in the very nature and design of the family relationship between mother and child. If I am gone for any length of time, the moment my foot lands in the door, I am greeted with joy. My oldest daughter, Rose, begins her big list of boo-boos. She tells me every single injury that has happened since I was gone, along with ones from the last month. She details where each one is, how it happened, and the level in which it hurt. We must not forget even a broken fingernail or if a sibling poked her. Often, the injury is invisible to the eye, but she knows it is there and she expects me to see it. I love her so much, I want her to share with me.

When a young child is in distress, often the first thing they will do is run to their mother. They will attempt to communicate their issue with words, tears, noises, or even clinging to her legs. She instinctively may already know their hurts and needs. The child runs to the one that nurtures them. She is their comfort and she cares for them. They are assured of her love by her actions in their lives. Just like the child and mother, God wants us to come to him with everything also.

There is a song by Cody Carnes that reminds me of this. Here is a portion of the lyrics:

I’ve carried a burden
For too long on my own
I wasn’t created
To bear it alone
I hear Your invitation
To let it all go
Yeah I see it now
I’m laying it down
And I know that I need You
I run to the Father
I fall into grace
I’m done with the hiding
No reason to wait
My heart needs a surgeon
My soul needs a friend
So I’ll run to the Father
Again and again

Run to the Father by Cody Carnes

What a beautiful picture of Christ this is! That when we are in distress, we can come to him as a child would come to a parent. We can come as we are without pretension or even words. We can come and lay ourselves at the feet of the one who loves us. Jesus calls us to him from the pages of the book of Matthew, “Come to me.”

At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

“All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
— Matthew 11:25–30 NIV