A little Belly Bump, A lot of laughter

Yesterday evening, my daughter came to me clutching her stomach like the world was ending. I’m still learning this motherhood thing — I don’t know everything — and honestly, when they were younger, half the time I was diagnosing, praying, and then dropping them off at the ER like, “Here, take them, I’m out of my depth.”

But now that they’re older, at least they can explain what’s wrong. And before she could turn this stomachache into a full dramatic production, I felt led to do something simple and silly. I lifted my shirt just a little and said, “Hit me with your belly.”

She burst out laughing, tapped her belly to mine — boom — and suddenly it was, “Mom, that’s so much fun! Do it again!” And just like that… stomachache gone. Crisis over. She skipped away telling her sister, “Oh my God, I hit Mom’s belly!” like she hadn’t been sick two minutes earlier.

I stood there laughing, but I also felt God whisper to me: “Sometimes you just need connection to remember you’re okay.”

Kids don’t overthink. They don’t spiral. They don’t rehearse disaster. They reach for comfort, make contact, and suddenly the world feels safe again.

And isn’t that exactly what God invites us to do? To come close. To lean in. To let His presence reset what fear tried to magnify.

Sometimes the healing isn’t in the medicine — it’s in the nearness. Sometimes the peace isn’t in the solution — it’s in the connection you have with Him.

Yesterday reminded me that God doesn’t always remove the discomfort instantly, but He always offers Himself as the place where our hearts can settle. And sometimes, that’s all we needed in the first place.