A few Sundays ago during Communion, I watched a mother and her adult daughter approach the altar to receive the bread and wine.  Sitting in the choir, I face the congregation and sometimes see things from a different viewpoint.  I had already taken my Communion. My mind was open and thinking about how miraculous it is to lay my sins before my Father who provided his Son as a living sacrifice.  It was at moment I noticed the daughter nudge the mom with her elbow.  They both smiled, maybe even giggled.  There was another nudge.  The “fun” was over that quickly, and they focused on receiving the elements.

I sat in my choir seat and smiled.  My heart smiled, too.  I have no idea what that moment was about between that mother and daughter, but I have had moments like that with my mom, my sister, my husband, my very close friends, and my children.  We have all had moments like that where something very personal crosses between another person and us.

That moment I watched between that mother and daughter may have a long history behind it.  It could have been related to something in that moment, but only those two fully understood what was going on and what the nudge meant.  It was so quick that had I been looking in a slightly different direction I would have missed it.

When I saw this mom and daughter that Sunday I was reminded of my own relationship with my mom, but then also of Psalm 139:1-6 and the amazing relationship I have with my Lord.

“O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, O Lord, you know it completely. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it.”

Having a mom or sister or friend, who knows what you have been through, why you hurt, how to comfort you, how to make you laugh, and when to just be there is one of the most important things in our lives.  Someone who knows us…who does not need for us to explain….who understands what we mean with just a look.  Those are the people who hold us up and make us fully human.  As I watched the mother and daughter nudge one another, I asked myself, why do I so easily forget that God is a friend just like that….only on a much more intimate level.  He is that friend who knows what I need and where I have been.  I do not need to speak a word to God for Him to understand what I need.  What he desires is a relationship with me, and he is nudging me and smiling at me everyday.  Why do I forget to build that relationship with Him?