Mama James.....

“Mama!”  A little girl in her yellow dress called out for me to pick her up and hold her.  It was the first time in my life someone called me that.  And certainly I did not expect that would happen in the Amazon of all places!  Nonetheless, God is unexpected. 

She spent a good portion of the day chasing me around so that I would pick her up.  At the end of the day, I still cannot forget the image of her as she burst into tears when she was leaving, stretching her hands out to me calling out, “Mama!”  I cried inside and at that moment, I thought of my mom.    

My mom is the person that taught me how to be a prodigal parent.  When she cradled me during my infancy years, she poured out and emptied herself so that I can be full of life.  She puts me first and is lavish in affection.  She is also a reckless spender of grace.  Her extravagant way of spending love can be seen as wasteful sometimes. 

In our culture today, it is sad that men are degraded to being more as predators than protectors.  We seem to have lost touch of what it truly means to be a man and what manhood is all about.  We forget that Jesus chose the best for himself to be born into a woman, and be nourished and cared in her arms. This is because he never looked at a woman with lusting eyes nor breaks her down with a mob of angry people.  Jesus elevates women from shame, lifts them up when they fall, and invite them to be whole in his presence.  Jesus judges the interior beauty, the beauty of the heart.    

Like any little girl, all of them want to be picked up, carried, held, loved and sought after.  That doesn’t change as they grow older.  It has been five years since I last saw her.  She has probably grown much and unrecognizable even if I did bump into her.  I know she has become a beautiful teenager now and perfect in her own way. 

And if you ever miraculous come to read this one day, I want you to know that I still think of you.  I want to tell you also to never settle for less.  Be a woman of grace, dance with Jesus, and he will let the perfect man cut in.  Always remain in Jesus’ heart, so that one day a man will have to enter the heart of Christ to find you.