my daddy's got me

When I was maybe five or six years old, I had a very vivid dream that I still remember to this day. In my dream, I was tucked in a baby carriage/pram. From beneath the hood of the carriage, I could see the sky was grey and ominous. The atmosphere was eerily calm as one would expect when it's just about to downpour.

I remember it was my father who was pushing me and I recall feeling safe, tucked away in my carriage. The funniest thing about this dream was that behind my father was a witch, who looked an awful lot like the witch from Snow White (probably because my five year old self didn't have anything scarier to project from my subconscious mind). She was always a few steps behind my father, peering over his shoulder and cackling at me, but she could never get pass him.

I don't remember crying when I woke up, as I often did when I had nightmares as a child. The images from that dream are deeply engrained in my mind. But even more than that, there was a particular feeling so engrained on my heart. If you had asked little five-year old Ariel why she felt safe, she would've said (given that she could articulate it) this:

My daddy's got me.

Looking at my life now and suddenly remembering this dream the other day brought to life a million little things about where God has me. Recent life circumstances have been pointing me towards Him more and more--unexpected disappointments, failures, and even a drastic shift in passions and possibly career. During these times, I often allowed the accuser to tell me I wasn't good enough, that I was the problem, that I was a failure, that my Father only loved me when I did things right. As I battled with the voices, I wondered if I would ever walk out of it. But thinking on it now, making the small connection between this dream I had as a child and my life now made me laugh because there was a truth that my little five year-old self knew even before she really understood what was going on. 

I don't have to be afraid for whatever comes my way. I promise you that there is no better comfort than this. My Father has me and there is nothing in this world that can pluck me from His hands. I can't ever wander too far, fall so far to be out of His grasp or His love. There are no life circumstances that can break me without Him allowing it. The accuser can't touch me; he can't even get past Him. I am safe because if there's one truth that I can articulate now, it's this:

My Daddy's got me.