Roar - Angie Reedy

"In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears." Psalm 18:6 NIV

“If you get lost, roar!”

After vowing never again to let go of his three-year-old hand, I advised my son of our new plan. Adrenaline slowed its mad rush and the words, “You don’t know where your son is.” stopped repeating in my mind.

Moments earlier, other shoppers watched me rushing around racks of clothes, peering underneath every one, hoping to spot skinny scraped legs with dinosaur socks and Velcro shoes. I couldn’t find him. Each place I checked turned up empty. I feared the worst as seconds ticked by during those minutes that felt like years.

And then I heard it. Either a Tyrannosaurus Rex lived in the department store, or my son spotted something scary and reacted with his typical dinosaur roar.

It didn’t matter—he was near. Relief poured over me when I heard those familiar roars. Not much farther and I would sweep him in a hug and love him, but scold him and squeeze him and clasp his hand tighter than tight so I would never lose him again.

He could have used his outside voice, shrieked, or even whined. I simply needed to hear his call.

God doesn’t care how I call either. He wants me to use any voice to cry out for Him. Whether I cry, sit in silent anticipation, rush with joy, or roar in desperation, God hears.

Throughout the ages, people have called on the Lord and He has listened. David in his despair, triumph, and shame, called to God. Through weeping and joyful dances, he found an audience in God’s presence.

Whatever situation you’re in—enter His presence. Cry to Him. Laugh with Him. Dance with Him. Celebrate the gifts you’ve received. Simply talk to Him. He waits to hear from you.

Roar.


Angie Reedy is a freelance writer living in Central Illinois. For six years Angie wrote market and competitive analyses for a Fortune 50 company, but now focuses her corporate writing and editing experiences into subjects of authentic life and faith. She writes a monthly newspaper column for an Illinois regional newspaper and regularly updates her blog, www.realreedy@blogspot.com. Angie is married to Walter and loves the daily surprises that come with parenting her two young children.

Read Angie's devotions.

Flamingo Creation - Angie Reedy

"How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast are the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand – when I awake I am still with you." Psalm 139:17-18 NIV

Flamingoes flew through my thoughts all weekend. I admired their slender necks and wondered about the choice for their body color. Were they the perfect shade of pink or would the color be too dark?

Thoughts of my creation have rarely left my mind since we made the plate together. My husband held the brush and executed the project. Our son globed paint on the plate and provided a running commentary about the perfection of his handprint compared to his baby sister’s, whose sole job was to press her tiny hand in the designated spot. This creation was produced in the pottery shop by picking out colors, keeping paint trays full, and giving lots of encouragement.

We eagerly waited for the completion of the plate as it fired in the blazing heat. My family talked about getting to hold it and, more importantly, giving it to Grams and watching her exclaim over the contributions of her treasured grandchildren, combined with her signature feathered friends. We anticipated the joy for everyone involved.

Fortunately, God thinks about you and me infinitely more times than my thoughts have turned to this eternally insignificant plate. Just the thought of the One who rules the Universe thinking of me at all boggles my mind. To know He thinks about me every day, every hour, every minute—as often as my heart beats—drives me to my knees. How could it not?

In light of that fact, my thoughts towards the flamingo handprints seem trivial and I’ve wondered why I feel so attached to a piece of painted ceramic. Maybe it’s because we, as a family, invested a piece of ourselves into this gift of love.

We might look for the smudge spot we erased or analyze the accuracy of the color choices, but even though it’s not perfect, we will enjoy our creation and proclaim it a masterpiece, just as our Heavenly Creator does with us.

You can rest today, knowing God’s thoughts of you, His creation, are constant and loving.


Angie Reedy is a freelance writer living in Central Illinois. For six years Angie wrote market and competitive analyses for a Fortune 50 company, but now focuses her corporate writing and editing experiences into subjects of authentic life and faith. She writes a monthly newspaper column for an Illinois regional newspaper and regularly updates her blog, www.realreedy@blogspot.com. Angie is married to Walter and loves the daily surprises that come with parenting her two young children.

Read Angie's devotions.