Protection from the Waves

Let me tell you, friends, I have had a summer for the books. It has been a summer of spontaneity, wet hair, lots of hugs and lots of aching belly laughs. I am so thankful that my job allows me to go and be with the kids and families who God has called me to love. It has been a great joy and delight to spend time with your families; to be present during the celebrations and present during the tears. It's been an absolute honor to be alongside of y'all for these fun months- but, I'm ready to kick it back into gear, get back to writing and I'm SO excited for this AWESOME year to come. The Lord has so many things in store for our church and your families this year and I'm so eager I can barely stand it! Y'all need to remind me to simmer down...

When I was on vacation with my family at the end of June, I saw something that made me giddy to share with all of you. It may not be as much of a comfort to all of you as it has been for me, but I cannot get this situation out of my mind. I was sitting on the beach, with some splotchy sunburn, dirty hair, sandy body, reading a great book. It was awesome. As I looked up from my extensive reading, I saw a young girl, couldn't have been older than 18 months. The child was wobbling all over the beach, trying to keep her balance chasing after her siblings, seagulls, or anything that moved. So, I sat in my chair and watched, completely content in celebrating her happiness. 

 Her parents were sitting about 15 feet behind her as she wobbled and jiggled to the water. She could hardly stand up, her feet stuck in the sand as the tide was washing in and out over her little chubby toes. Then, out of nowhere, a gigantic wave came crashing into the shore. You know those waves that cause you to throw all of your belongings behind you; the waves that somehow always make it to your sacred beach possessions to soak them? Well, it was one of those waves. As the wave was barreling towards the direction of this precious girl in a pink seersucker bathing suit, her father jumped out of his seat just in time to pick her up. He was able to pick his daughter up out of her complete oblivion in time to rescue her... before she even knew she would need to be rescued. He was able to meet her need before she even needed it.  He was able to do something for her that she couldn't do for herself. He was able to prevent something painful and terrifying in the life of his daughter.

Sounds so ordinary of a dad or mom,  right? It's the role of a parent to always be on guard, looking, protecting, shielding, gaging and timing everything their child is doing. It's your nature.

This image of a father, swooping in quickly to rescue his beloved child, overwhelmed me because it was a physical reminder of what OUR Father does for us. So often, I am stuck in my oblivious state, ignorant of the immediate danger or harm. But, before I realize it, my God rescues me. He rescues me before the oceans rise against me. When the ocean rises, His grace abounds and His sovereign hands are my guide and my hope. Take heart, friends, that we can rest in that embrace. We can rest in the fact that He will not let us go under. He will not leave us to fend the waves and ocean for ourselves. Our faith is made stronger in His embrace, in His goodness and in His perfect faithfulness to us.

This is a song about oceans rising, and the Lord providing His grace, more than we can imagine. It is a great, great comfort to me!

So, you ask, how do we remind our children of the Lord's care and protection? We pray it over them and we allow the Lord to use US (the Church) as vessels for his protection and kindness. I pray that they know more of God's grace, care, love and protection through interactions they have with all of you in their homes. But, they are also supposed to know that security in a community of believers. We can pray that the protection, strength and grace of God overflows from you, as parents, grandparents, teachers and friends.

We have an amazing opportunity THIS week to pray safety over our children as a community. This Sunday, at 9:30, during the Sunday school hour, we have the priveledge of going the Lord on our children's' behalf. We will meet together as families, as a Church, as prayer partners, as those who have taken baptismal vows, to go the Lord and ask Him for protection, love, guidance and mercy on our children as they embark on a brand new school year. It's a time of high anxiety and we have the unfathomable privilege of spending time in the presence of a Holy God, speaking to Him about our most prized gifts, our children. I'm looking forward to seeing you there- I am expecting to see you!