Children

A recent celestial phenomenon captured the attention of a nation. Social media was awash with pictures; some of the eclipse, many of individuals preparing to watch it. One picture grabbed my attention more than any other. It was of one awestruck little girl named Maggie. Uninterested in self or selfies, she was fully in the moment; watching in wonder as the moon passed in front of the sun. While she was captivated by the eclipse, someone was captivated by her. The photo with its caption, ‘Best Shot I took of the Eclipse’ sent my mind wandering to biblical places; to the palace in Jerusalem.

Musing of a King
What sparked the king’s musing while considering the heavens? Was it a muted sunrise on a misty morning that drew him? Perhaps a thumbnail moon against a star-peppered midnight sky sent his thoughts to places far beyond his view. Whatever the splendor, the psalmist penned a question worth the thought of both lofty and lowly alike. “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? Psalm 8:3-4.

It’s not hard to imagine that God would be mindful of kings. But God was mindful of this king, King David, when he was still a shepherd. David was heaven-picked from a pasture and placed in a palace. It’s no wonder he’d ask so humble a question from so high an earthly place.

How About You
Have you ever experienced that sweet exchange, when you captured the magnificence of creation while it stole your breath away? When was the last time you stood in jaw-drop wonder at the creative genius of the God of the universe? Did you dare to imagine the bigger picture; that while you marveled at creation, the Creator was mindful of you?

Take a moment to consider the vastness of the universe and your privileged place in it, then ask the psalmist’s question for yourself, and maybe I will too. Perhaps we will conclude as King David did, “O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth!” Psalm 8:9.

God bless you and keep you,

Roxanne

**A special thanks to Maggie’s folks for allowing me to use this precious picture.

**Dear, sweet Maggie, I hope your life is beautiful and filled with many more wonders.

Penny Portrait Penny is the sweetest little chicken. She follows me around the yard and meets me at the car when I come home from work. She found a dirt pile one day and it fast became her favorite place to be. She rolls around in it and works the dirt into her feathers. It doesn’t look appealing to me but it’s both cleansing and relaxing to her. I prefer a warm bath and candles myself, but to each chick her own I guess.

While outside one morning a storm worked its way toward us. I tried to get Penny to her coop but she wasn’t having it. She wouldn’t follow me and ran away when I tried to grab hold of her. The wind kicked up and rain began to fall. No matter what I tried she wanted nothing to do with leaving that pile of dirt. I went inside and asked God to protect my stubborn chicken.

Penny Hutch

Make-shift Shelter

Once the rain subsided I found Penny holed up in the remnants of a rabbit hutch that some animal had torn apart. “Well, have you had enough?” She stared at me. “Come on, let’s go home.” Without hesitation she crawled out of the hutch and followed close behind me to her coop. I opened the door and she stepped in without a fuss. It’s amazing what a storm will do to bring a chicken to her senses. While that hutch provided a small measure of shelter from the wind and rain, it provided no safety at all from predators.

Rebellion & Bondage

Not wanting to stay within the parameters God set for them and refusing to follow Him, the children of Israel chose to run away from God and live according to the dictates of the culture. He gave them instruction on how to live to ensure a peaceful and prosperous life and to protect them from danger but they wanted no part of it. They were taken captive by a cruel enemy, suffered great deprivation and lived in bondage. God did promise them a way out, “and they shall no longer be a prey for the nations, nor shall beasts of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and no one shall make them afraid.” Ezekiel 34:28. It would be 70 years before they would be released but they would be ready to follow Him.

What is it about the dirt piles of this world, the lure of the forbidden that we find so appealing? We have a kind and faithful shepherd that offers green pastures and still waters yet we want dirt. He longs to gently lead us but it often takes a storm to get our attention. “But whoever listens to me will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil.” Proverbs 1:33. It’s amazing what a storm will do to bring us to our senses.

How About You

Have you found yourself drawn to someone or something that you knew wasn’t right for you, only to end up in disaster? Are you there right now, holed up in a place you were never meant to be? God has offered Himself as a place of refuge. “Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies; In You I take shelter.” Psalm 143:9.

God bless you and keep you,

Roxanne