Our Children's Faithful Refuge
Habakkuk 3:11 (New International Version)
11 Sun and moon stood still in the heavens
at the glint of your flying arrows,
at the lightning of your flashing spear.
I glanced up at a flock of Canada geese flying across the sky like arrows shot from the bows of an army of medieval archers. How full of beauty and grace they were, these harbingers of another winter's approach.
Each year seems to fly by more rapidly than the last, with Christmases separated by spring and summer seasons that slip speedily into fall and then winter again.
I had been thinking of that when I read my Daily Light on the Daily Path over the weekend. I have a habit of making notes in the margin of my well worn copy of this cherished classic, usually when one of the readings has special significance to some event in my life on the day I read it.
Interestingly, in the margin for both November 14th and 15th, there are notes about both Brenda's and Peter's work situations in past years and some of the verses are underlined. Re-reading my notations from the perspective of "now," only serves to remind me again of God's faithfulness.
On November 14th, I wrote in 2005:"Brenda lost job at Montessori school." The school had gone bankrupt; a stressful ending to the jobs of the teachers, coming as it did so close to Christmas. Although so many of the verses for that day were comforting, the verse I underlined was Proverbs 14:26:
He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress,
and for his children it will be a refuge.
Yes, it was difficult, but 4 years down the road, Brenda is working at a job she loves at a school for boys. She is the "face" of the college, greeting parents and other guests with her gift of warm, easy banter and wit. God has provided for every need during some tough years. For this child of ours, he has indeed been a refuge.
On the page for the next day, November 15th, I had written, "Peter, interview, 2006, O.S.C." Again, so many of the verses were encouraging that day, but I underlined, 1 Corinthians 1:9:
God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.
11 Sun and moon stood still in the heavens
at the glint of your flying arrows,
at the lightning of your flashing spear.
I glanced up at a flock of Canada geese flying across the sky like arrows shot from the bows of an army of medieval archers. How full of beauty and grace they were, these harbingers of another winter's approach.
Each year seems to fly by more rapidly than the last, with Christmases separated by spring and summer seasons that slip speedily into fall and then winter again.
I had been thinking of that when I read my Daily Light on the Daily Path over the weekend. I have a habit of making notes in the margin of my well worn copy of this cherished classic, usually when one of the readings has special significance to some event in my life on the day I read it.
Interestingly, in the margin for both November 14th and 15th, there are notes about both Brenda's and Peter's work situations in past years and some of the verses are underlined. Re-reading my notations from the perspective of "now," only serves to remind me again of God's faithfulness.
On November 14th, I wrote in 2005:"Brenda lost job at Montessori school." The school had gone bankrupt; a stressful ending to the jobs of the teachers, coming as it did so close to Christmas. Although so many of the verses for that day were comforting, the verse I underlined was Proverbs 14:26:
He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress,
and for his children it will be a refuge.
Yes, it was difficult, but 4 years down the road, Brenda is working at a job she loves at a school for boys. She is the "face" of the college, greeting parents and other guests with her gift of warm, easy banter and wit. God has provided for every need during some tough years. For this child of ours, he has indeed been a refuge.
On the page for the next day, November 15th, I had written, "Peter, interview, 2006, O.S.C." Again, so many of the verses were encouraging that day, but I underlined, 1 Corinthians 1:9:
God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.
Whenever Peter changes positions at work, he gives me one of his business cards. Of course, since I've been cleaning out my loft room, I found them all and added them to my business card holder. There they bear silent testimony to God's faithfulness, as they outline the blessing of successive roles of increasing responsibility and influence, for the better of others. We are so grateful for God's faithfulness in guiding the path of his life.
One of the reasons I love recording the small details of our lives is that in them we can trace the faithful fingerprints of God.
Comments
Thanks for your post.