The God Who PursuesSample

The Call From The Stage

I had positioned myself perfectly by the finish line with my camera. The runners had started to come across, and I knew my wife was somewhere near the end of her race. As each runner crossed, a spouse, friend, or someone close hugged them and congratulated them for completing the grueling half marathon.

As each runner came around the final curve, I anxiously positioned my camera, hoping to get the perfect shot of my wife cruising down the last portion of the run. Then, I heard my name. It was distant, and I wasn't sure at first. But, when your name is called, no matter what noise is around, you hear it. I lowered the camera, and sure enough, there it was..." Robert Kennedy, please report to the bandstand immediately! Please report urgently to the bandstand!"

After hurriedly stuffing the camera into my bag, I began to race over to the bandstand. I didn't know where it was, but I began to follow the sound of the speakers and the voice. As I ran, my heart raced, and I wondered why I was summoned. I neared the bandstand, my mind flooding with thoughts, when suddenly I heard, "Hi Daddy. There's my daddy!"

Somehow, my 2-year-old son decided to explore on his own. He'd wandered away from his grandparents, who were seated in the stands.

I was thrilled to see him and know that he was safe. But my mind also thought about what could have happened. The emotions built up in me as I imagined all of the negative possibilities. If he had not been alert enough to recognize he was lost and bold enough to tell someone his name and his situation, the outcome could have been very different. But as a father, I would not have left that park without my son.

Even when we lack the alertness to recognize the gravity of our situation, God still pursues. Even when we forget our name and Whose we are, God still pursues. God is intimately acquainted with every anxiety and high-blood-pressure-inducing emotion I could feel over my children. And this emotional connection causes Him to relentlessly pursue us, His children, when we leave to explore on our own.