Being in motherhood has taught me so much in the last two years. It’s the best hood I have ever lived in and my toddler is the best little teacher, even though he has no idea the impact he has had on my life. One thing that he has started doing lately that just makes my heart skip a beat is he will walk up to me and say, “Mom!” with his arms raised as high as he can get them, tip toes included, and his little hands motioning for me so I will pick him up. He does this when he’s tired, wants a hug, needs help, is hungry, wants to be able to see something better, scared, or just doesn’t know how to handle his emotions. I am His escape. I am one that he feels safe with, feels comfort from. I am one that he trusts and knows that I will do my best to help him with whatever I can. He knows and understands that I am bigger than him. I have more capabilities than him. I can figure out problems for him and help him get through whatever he has made a mess of. He knows that he can come to me with confidence that I care about him. All with his arms raised high.

As this melts my heart it has also been reminding me that I understand exactly what he is doing. I’ve been there now as an adult. Not with my Mom but with my Heavenly Father.

There has been times when I choose to lose myself in worship with lifted hands as high as I can get them. When all I can say is, “Oh, God!” with tears flowing down my face and I just wanna get as close to Him as I can. When I’m tired, when I just need to feel His strong arms let me know it’s going to be okay, when I’m in distress, when I’m spiritually hungry for more of Him, when I can’t see what His plan is, when I’m afraid, or when I just don’t know how to handle everything on my own anymore, He is my escape. He is the one I feel safe with, the one that I get my comfort from. I trust Him because I know He has it all in control. I know that He is bigger than anything I will ever face. There is nothing impossible with Him. He has a way of making beauty out of my messes. I can go to Him with confidence that He always will have my back with my best interests in mind. I know all of this with my arms raised high in worship.

Sometimes our action of just coming to Him because we are overwhelmed can be a form worship. He accepts it as worship when we are acknowledging that we can’t handle it because then that means we are actually acknowledging that He IS big enough to handle it! He is our refuge that we can run to! He can handle anything! And He wants to handle it but it’s up to us to realize that we can’t have our hands in it anymore and we have to give those things up and surrender them — with arms raised high. Showing Him that physical action of Lord, here are my hands lifted high to You. I’m letting go of these things and getting my hands out of the situation and surrendering it all to You with arms raised high.

Just as my son raises his arms as high as he can get them just for me to hold him, we can lift our arms to our Heavenly Father allowing Him to hold us.

He’ll hold you
When the tempest rages all around
He’ll hold you
Plant your feet on solid ground
He’ll hold you
When the waves come crashing down
He’ll hold you through it all

Selah

The physical action of our bodies raising our arms high actually can help expand our chest cavity and allow our lungs to breath in more oxygen. In a spiritual sense, sometimes we do just need to take in more of God into our lives. Arms raised high is good for our physical and our spiritual beings.