Encased in Love

Aries threw her mom's cell phone on the counter and ran to her room as fast she could. She slammed the door and belly flopped onto her bed, sobbing uncontrollably. Soon there was a knock on the door. "Aries, can I come in?" Mom asked. "I guess so," Aries was able to get out between sobs.Mom sat down on the bed. "I'm guessing your dad called to say he's not coming to get you this weekend like he promised," she said as she rubbed Aries' back. Aries nodded. "He said something about having to work early on Monday. That's the third week in a row. What's wrong with me, Mom? Why doesn't he want to spend time with me?" Aries asked as more tears flowed down her cheeks. "Honey, it's not you. I'm not sure what's going on with your dad, but I know it's not your fault," Mom reassured her. "It's just so hard. I was really looking forward to this weekend," Aries said as she turned toward her mother and began sobbing on her shoulder. Mom let her cry for a while before breaking the silence. "Aries, I want you to look at my cell phone." Aries sat up and looked at the phone in her mom's hand. "After you got done talking to your dad, you slammed my phone down pretty hard on the counter, but is it broken?" Mom turned the phone over, and Aries shook her head. "Why not?" Mom asked."Because the case protected it," Aries said. "That's right. People are going to disappoint you in life--I may even let you down sometimes--and it's normal to feel hurt because of it. But remember that since you're a Christian, you will always have the love of God protecting you. Jesus gave His life to save you, and He will never fail you. He is with you when you're hurting and wants to comfort you and help you." Mom kissed the top of Aries' head. "I love you, kid. I'm going to go start dinner. Why don't you come join me when you're ready?"After her mom left, Aries took a deep breath and dried her eyes. "Dear Lord, thank You for loving me. Please help me get through this," she prayed as she headed toward the kitchen to join her mom. –Melissa Yeagle