3-minute read
A few days ago, I sat down at my desk (when not traveling, I work from my office in our home) and I heard something rustle down by my feet.
Had I not known better, I might have thought that our house had a sudden infestation of some type of woodland creature. Squirrel. Marmot. Prairie dog.
But no. This was, I was sure, a Mae Mae.
In case you don’t know your fauna native to the Davenport household very well, a Mae Mae is our seven-year-old daughter. She’s known for singing, dancing, and hiding so as to surprise the unsuspecting.
I peaked under my desk and, sure enough, there was a Mae Mae. Huddled up into a ball, trying not to giggle out loud.
I laughed, then she laughed. She asked, “Did you know it was me?” I played coy. “Maybe. But I thought it could have been a Colorado monkey.”
She climbed out from under the desk, gave me a hug and a kiss, then plopped herself on the big gray chair in my office so she could read.
Who does this? Who comes into someone’s office—where important things (at least in my mind) happen and plays hide-and-seek under the desk then makes themselves at home on my comfy chair?
I’ll tell you who: my child. And, honestly, no one else.
*****
Seeing Mae Mae under my desk reminded me of a series of photos I’d seen before of President John F. Kennedy. Kennedy (a flawed guy with a good heart) was the youngest president the nation had ever known. He had a beautiful wife and very young children. From time to time he’d let his little kids—John John and Caroline—come into the Oval Office and play.
One of my two favorite images are one of John John hiding under the desk (a beautiful wood desk made from oak timbers of the British Arctic exploration ship, the HMS Resolute) and one of President Kennedy sitting in a chair, clapping while John John and Caroline dance around.
Had these pictures been of any regular father, they’d be cute…
But these are interesting to me because they’re photos of the most powerful person in the world, sitting in the office of the most powerful post in the land, allowing children to laugh and dance, sing and play.
Who gets to come into the office of the most powerful man on earth without an invitation? His children.
*****
We get to do this.
The most powerful “office” in the Universe is that of Creator God.
The most powerful, awesome being ever is Jehovah God.
And we—little tiny, faulty children—get to come right into the presence of God.
And be with Him.
And play with Him.
And dance in His presence.
Why?
Because we are His children.
By believing in Jesus, we get to be called the children of God. And that is what we are!
As children, we get to walk right on in…
Let us approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
*****
How do you feel about entering God’s presence?
Do you feel dirty? Ashamed? Un-confident?
Do you worry that you haven’t done enough good things… or have done too many bad things?
Then that just means you’re misunderstanding the reason we’d ever be let into His presence.
It’s not by our good works…
And not by not doing bad things…
It’s simply be believing in Jesus… and realizing that belief in Him means all the good things He ever did are “credited to our account” and all of the bad things we’ve ever done (or ever will do) are washed away.
Why do we get to go into the presence of God?
Because we believe in Jesus…
And by that belief… we are His children.
May you enter into the presence of God with the confidence of John John in the White House or Mae Mae hiding and playing in my office.