Worth Fighting For

As you might imagine, in a home with three 5 year old children, there is plenty of rough housing. Two of my children, in particular, cannot seem to get enough of wrestling, tickling, tumbling, rolling and wallowing all over each other. And it may not be the two that you would think.

R is a physical touch kid. There is no doubt it is his love language--from hugs to body slams, he craves it all. P, is wired completely differently. He does not enjoy being manhandled and typically gets as far away from that kind of play as he can. (The picture below is an excellent representation.)
K, on the other hand, cannot get enough. My sweet, delicate little girl loves nothing more than to pick a play fight.
True to her gender, she is also ever mindful of when to flip the princess switch. K's love for wrestling is surpassed only by her love for having her Daddy rescue her when she gets in over her head. I wish you could hear her squeal with delight as a sword fight takes place over her.
Isn't it what we all want? It seems to be the story of many lives. We enjoy the exhilaration of flirting with danger. We get as close as we possibly can. We taunt our enemy. We dare him to come for us. We long for a secure place to run when we are in over our heads. We want a rescuer, a savior, a defender, a protector.

I am watching this now with one of the young women I have gotten to know through the children's home. J. is flirting with relational disaster. She knows this will not end well--but it is fun now. It is a place to feel loved for the moment. And in this particular girl's case, she does not have an exit plan in place. She has never met her biological father. She hasn't lived with her mother in years (and, frankly, her mother has so many demons of her own, she's unable to fight for her daughter). She is running from God.

But this toxic relationship works for now. This person she should be afraid of is attractive because of the danger. My young friend is intoxicated by the drama, the conflict. As I watched K tonight I couldn't help but think about J. Who will fight for her?

I am reminded that she has a Rescuer, a Savior, a Defender, a Protector. I just pray she will stop running away from Him...and turn and run to His arms instead.

If you would like a powerful visual reminder of this truth...check this out.