"Being Near Someone We Love" by Jerry Hill
“As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forever” (Psalm 125:2).
Four-year-old Margot was spending her first overnight at our house—her first sleepover with Grammy and Papa. As could be expected, bedtime was quite a process consisting of stories, arranging nightlights, and attention to all of the details in her room. After this long process, Margot finally drifted off to sleep, but hours later, in the middle of the night, I hear Margot beside my bed saying, “Papa, I woke up and can’t sleep now.” I picked her up, hugged her tight, and carried her back to her room. I sat down in a chair as she held on tight and laid her head on my shoulder. We sat there for a long while. But, when I felt her begin to relax, I pulled the chair right next to the bed and laid her down on her pillow. I said, “Margot, I will stay right here beside you. You will be ok.” Then I heard her small voice say, “Thanks, Papa. I feel better when I am near someone I love.”
Don’t we all feel better when we are near someone we love? In our scripture, the Psalmist says that the Lord surrounds his people forever. Isn’t that really the message of advent? God coming to be with us in a new way, forever. He is always with us, whether it is dark and scary or bright and sunny. Advent ushered in a new love relationship between our creator and us, made possible by the Christ-child. We can always be near someone we love and who loves us.
(BTW, Papa made sure Margot was near someone she loved all night as I slept in the chair and she rested nearby.)
Jerry Hill