Stop running

I can’t run away from that which is right next to me...Father, You are right next to me.  I run, You keep pace; I hide, You keep watch. No matter where I go, You are there; You love, You guide, You show me mercy, You forgive.  The paths I have taken are not always the paths chosen by my heart, I fall prey to my mind, I heed the nagging desires prosecuted by thoughts tainted by wants; fascinated by the ego, mesmerized by pride and its grand illusions I attempt to become lost within myself.  Emerged in the wants of humanity, I begin to drown knowing not which direction is up; just then, Your hand takes mine, my lungs filled with breath, no longer do I gasp for air.  You, You which walk next to me, You who loves me more than I could every describe, You save me once again. Though I attempt to run, though I attempt to hide, I do so because I lack confidence, I lack understanding, I lack wisdom for I have been bred to follow the masses, follow the thoughts of many, disregard the truths of one.  I turn to You, loving Father, who has been with me every step of the journey, I turn to You and offer my hand.  Instead of running, instead of hiding, I wish to walk, hand in hand, with You throughout my days.  I wish to see the beauty of this world through the eyes of love; I wish to experience peace through the wisdom of love; I dare to wish that love be my entity.  Hand in hand we shall venture into this world; when I am afraid, I know You will hold me.  No more running, no more hiding, let us walk, let us experience life as You intended, wrapped in love, surrounded by peace, motivated to know with certainty, the truth of Your presence, the power of Your love.  With each step I become certain of Your love, I grow wiser, more confident for I have learned to listen, learned to take in that which surrounds me.  You surround me, my hand in Yours and I am safe, I am love, I have purpose, I have direction.  Everyday is a new day yet based upon deep love, fashioned in mercy and envisioned in faith.  Everyday I experience conditionless love and our connection gets stronger, we are one.  I feel Your presence, I see Your presence, I hear Your presence.  Everyday now a lifetime of experience, now an every lasting moment encased in love.  No, I can’t run from that which is beside me and I am so thankful that You have never, nor will You ever, leave my side.  Filled with peace, filled with love, I ask that You allow me to serve, to show others that running is not the answer, that hiding results only in soreness and stiffness.  I became alive once I stopped running, I wish this for others.  Your love has changed my purpose, changed my understanding, time now, to help others see, to help others feel Your love, Your presence.  Before this moment, I understood only partially, now I step into a future of love, a future of hope, a further hand in hand with My creator, hand in hand with someone who promises my safety, especially safety of my soul.  So today I see, I hear that the pleas, the cries of the many who still run, still hide and with Your hand in mind, I walk to a future where love has meaning and forgiveness needs no words.  Our from my hiding and into Your arms, Dear Father, to take the world by love.  The love I now am is the love the world can be, one step, one breath, one kind word at a time.  Everyday now a lifetime, walking with my Father, my best friend.  I can’t run away from that which is right next to me, I choose to walk hand in hand and be love.