In the Shadow of God's Wings - September 1
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 26, 28; PM Psalm 36, 39; Job 12:1,13:3-17,21-27; Acts 12:1-17; John 8:33-47
Today’s Reflection
How priceless is your love, O God! your people take refuge under the shadow of your wings.
—Psalm 36:7
September 1 is a very important day in our family because on that day in 2003 (which was Labor Day that year), our oldest daughter was born. At the time, we lived in Bryan, Texas, where I was finishing grad school at Texas A&M. When my obstetrician told me in July that she thought I was likely to have my baby a few weeks ahead of my due date (which was September 2), my most pressing question for her was: Do you think I can make it until the middle of August—because that is when I told my dissertation advisor that I will turn in the full-length draft of my dissertation? Looking back, it seems funny that this was my main concern. But I was 29 years old, and up until that point much of my life had revolved around achieving my own goals.
I felt ready to rise to the challenge of being a parent, of building my world around raising a child and not just presenting the next conference paper or earning the next degree. While those things remained important, to me it seemed more important to pour myself into shaping the life of another human being by being a mother. And so, as 2003 unfolded, while I was pushing myself to keep making progress on writing my dissertation chapters, I was also focused on debating potential baby names, deciding whether we should go with a Clifford the Big Red Dog theme for baby decor, and reading all of the Dr. Sears attachment parenting books that we could get our hands on at Barnes & Noble.
On September 1, 2003, everything changed. Olivia entered the world and we became parents. Life simultaneously became so much harder and so much better. And my faith changed, because now I began to have a different experience of how God sees us and cares for us as his dearly loved children.
In the Psalms appointed both for this morning and this afternoon, we hear repeated this theme of God caring for us, helping us, being a refuge for us—many of the things that we are called on to do and be as parents. In Psalm 28: 7-11, we see a glimpse of the psalmist’s sense of this parent-child type relationship with God:
Blessed is the Lord! For he has heard the voice of my prayer. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I have been helped; therefore my heart dances for joy, and in my song will I praise him. The Lord is the strength of his people, a safe refuge for his anointed. Save your people and bless your inheritance; shepherd them and carry them for ever.
Just as parents with their children, God shows his love to us as he hears us and responds to us when we cry out to him (a key principle in attachment parenting). When we learn that God will come to help us when we cry out, we learn that we can trust him—just as our children learn to trust us each time we hear them, respond to them, and provide what they need in that moment. Just as God gives us strength by providing a safe refuge for us under the shadow of his wings, so too do we give our children a sense of security by creating a home where they feel safe to dance with joy and be their most true selves.
Reflecting on the past 17 years, I see how I have learned not only about myself and my children, but also about what the never-failing love of God for us is like. No matter how challenging things may seem in a difficult moment or phase, I know that I am called to keep shepherding and carrying each child—for ever. Just as God shepherds and carries me—and each one of us—for ever. As a parent, I know that I need God’s shepherding and refuge now more than ever. I am grateful that God hears my prayers and that I can find my strength through believing in his loving care.
—Becky+
Questions for Self-Reflection
When have you experienced God hiding you under the shelter of his wings?
In what ways do you think of God as being your refuge?
What is a time in your life when you can remember God shepherding you and carrying you
Daily Challenge
Take the time to write a note of thanks to someone who has been a refuge or shepherd in your life.