Missing One Blue Toothbrush

This week one of the little blue toothbrushes went to stay with his Granny and Pops for two nights. He had the choice of taking a brother with him, but he decided he would like his grandparents all to himself. So off he went with his ruck sack on his back, and Tigger in his arms. It was hard to tell which one was the jumpy, excitable soft toy and which one was the jumpy, excitable small boy!
It sounds like he had a wonderful time; two adults listening to him solely for two days, a train ride to London, a visit to the Transport Museum, sweets from the M&M store, a Happy Meal from FatDonalds and hours of Scaletrix with Pops. What a blessing grandparents are!

But oh how we missed him! We missed his boundless energy. We missed his cheeky smile. We missed his funny little ways, his words, his bounce. We missed one of our blue toothbrushes. Even one of his older brothers said that he missed being annoyed by him. The house was a little quieter, bedtimes were a little easier, but there was definitely something lacking in our house. We could feel it physically, but also emotionally.

It got me thinking of how much God must miss us when we drift away from him, for a day, a week or longer. In the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15v11-32), the Father was looking out for his son, longing to see him again, “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him." I love that Abba Father is out looking for my return, with open arms. What a wonderful truth to dwell on. The jubilation we felt yesterday when our dear boy returned to us was lovely. His dad swept him into his arms and held him tightly, for a long while, kissing him and telling him how much he loved him. And we forget that this is how our Heavenly Father looks at us. He is waiting, watching from far off, yearning for us to repent and return to Him, after even one day. He is ready to pick us up and spin us around and hug us and kiss us and tell us how much He loves us.