Stand Firm and Shout

Here's a quote since I feel poorly. 
From Joni Eareckson Tada's Diamonds in the Dust

God always uses such intimate language when He relates to us. he paints warm images of sheltering us under His wings, holding us in the palm of His hands, or drawing us close to His breast. 

We shut ourselves out of God's path. We slam the door on letting Him love us, hold us. We scream, fingers in our ears, that we can manage everything on our own. 
We lie, blatantly, to ourselves. We don't need help with this, we don't need help with that. 
On the flip side....if we don't get exactly what we ask of God, we then out our fingers in our ears and scream. Spoiled children is what we see if we can honestly look back at ourselves. 
Why was the story of the prodigal son told? Multiple reasons could probably be pulled from those words...but what I always see the most is that me, myself, the wretched screaming brat is always welcome home. If I but humble myself away from the seat of "god" that I have been sitting on, admit that I need the level of love only God can give, He will give it. 
He gives out more live than can ever be described. The love and tenderness I have received from my King as I lay miserable sick, unable to talk I am so sick, is unbelievably difficult to describe. I know He is there. I know He sees my quaking nausea, stabbing pains, aching skin. I know He loves me all the more because I refuse to "curse God and die" as Job was told. I know He wipes the tears from my face. 
Our refusal to give up our faith in Him in the hardest of times are the best gifts we could ever offer Him. We shout then, to the visible and invisible world, that nothing shall ever seperate us from our God. And that is a powerful message.