LOVE COMES RUNNING

by Rev. Sarah (Are) Speed

I remember

the first time I was afraid.

I was a child.

It was a nightmare.

(You remember those pesky

monsters under the bed.)

I remember

minutes felt like hours.

I begged

the sun to rise.

(Fear always begs

the sun to rise.)

Eventually,

after minutes that felt like hours,

I cried out.

My dad came running.

He sat at the edge of my bed.

He said there is no reason to be afraid.

He checked the closet and the floorboards.

He rearranged my pillows.

He said, “I can stay.”

And that’s when I learned

that when you are afraid,

love always comes running.

Love says, “I can stay.”

That’s what God does for us.

God sits at the edge of the bed.

God checks the closet and the floorboards.

God says, “Be not afraid.”

God stays until sunrise.

Love always comes running.