fight for you

She held her emotions in as she raced to the table. Her tiny body, moving quickly, alerted me that something was wrong.

“That boy hit me in the face!” Tears began streaming down her cheeks. She was safe with me, and she knew she could cry. Her left eye was red. There was no question she had been punched square in the eye, and I was hardly convinced it was an accident. She was certain it was not.

“Who hit you?” I could feel my momma-bear wrath rising as I asked the question.

“That boy climbing up the slide.”

I turned a noticed a boy, twice her age and size, recklessly climbing up the slide.

I took her hand and we walked back to the playground together. Every set of eyes fell on me the moment I entered the room.

With a calm voice, I politely said, “My daughter just told me someone hit her in the face. Did anyone see what happened?”

Every head shook no.

I was giving them the opportunity to confess but no one was going to take it.

There were only 2 boys in the room, so I re-worded my question more pointedly. “She said a boy hit her in the face. Was it you?” I locked eyes with the first boy.

He shook his head no. His eyes wide with fear.

“Oh, was it you?” I asked the other wide-eyed boy.

“No, it wasn’t me,” he responded.

“Yes it was, it was him.” She whispered to me, nodding her head towards him.

“She tells me you were the one who hit her, but that’s not true?” The questions continued.

Guilt was written across his face. I had no doubt that this boy was the suspect.

“Well, uh, it was an accident.” He stumbled around for words, looking for an excuse. I wasn’t his parent, so it wasn’t my place to discipline him. But my child is not a punching bag, and it is my place to stand up for her.

With my mom voice queued up, I looked him straight in the eyes and spoke firmly. “You’ll keep your hands to yourself. You will not touch my daughter again in any way. And if you do, then you and I will both have a conversation with your parents, is that clear?”

His mouth was gaping wide open. He shook his head yes. He made no apology for what he had done. Showed absolutely no remorse. But my daughter knew she had a safe place to turn to. Someone who would stick up for her. She knew I was watching over her and I was not going to allow harm to come her way.

Is sin knocking you around? Are you just taking punches to the face and feeling entirely defenseless? Like you try to stand up but it’s so much bigger than you and each time, you’re overpowered.

In my distress I called to the LORD;

I cried to my God for help.

From his temple he heard my voice;

my cry came before him, into his ears.

The earth trembled and quaked,

and the foundations of the mountains shook;

they trembled because he was angry.

Smoke rose from his nostrils;

consuming fire came from his mouth,

burning coals blazed out of it.

He parted the heavens and came down…

He reached down from on high and took hold of me;

he drew me out of deep waters.

He rescued me from my powerful enemy,

from my foes, who were too strong for me….

he rescued me because he delighted in me.

Psalm 18:3-19 (condensed)

God is your safe place. Your refuge. Your very present help in time of need.

And listen, He will do something about it.

He is not going to send you back into sin’s playground with the instructions to toughen up and work through it on your own.

God will stand up for you. But you’ve got to ask. You have to seek his help. He is not going to interfere where he is not wanted.

He will rescue you. No one, no thing, is more powerful than God. And he will stand up for you, my friend, because God delights in his children.