Free fall

Last Sunday Mark's dad preached at Community of Faith. He was talking about the fact that God compares himself to an eagle in Scripture. He painted a beautiful picture of the majesty and strength of an eagle. And then he shared this verse from Deuteronomy 32:11 - 

"(God is) like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its pinions."  

This verse touched me so deeply that I don't think I heard anything else he said that day.

God stirs up the nest. That's certainly what He's done at the Shook house! But the thing is... He did it because He knew it was necessary. He knew it was for the best. He knew it would produce growth and strength. He knew it would give me wings.

It reminds me of the many times as a mother I've had to stir up the nest in the lives of my children: moving them so many times, taking them out of their culture into something different, leaving them in tears at the gate of Alexander Bain School in Mexico City, and again at Idyllwild Arts Academy, watching them say good-bye, again, to their family, to their MK friends, to all they knew. Stirring the nest. And then one by one moving them into the dorm, hugging them fiercely and driving away. It is incredibly difficult and painful to stir the nest.

And that's the thing that touched me on Sunday. God stirs the nest. He knows it's good. But it tears His heart out just the same as it tore mine out when I had to stir the nest. God knew cancer was coming. He knew the journey would be a challenge. He knew it would be painful. And He hurts too. I was overcome with the realization of His intimate knowledge of all I am going through and the fact that He hurts with me. That's the God I have. 

And the most beautiful part of the verse - God hovers over me. Even as I am falling from the nest, and struggling to take flight, He is right there hovering over me, just in case. His eye is focused on me. He is watching. And should I tire, or should I give up, should I come near to crashing to the ground, He will spread out his wings to catch me and He will carry me.    

What beautiful peace comes from knowing that my God is intimately involved in this with me.

A couple of years ago I went sky diving. I had always dreamed of doing it and it was amazing! The most amazing part was the initial jump from the plane. We were free falling at 140 miles an hour and yet it felt like we were floating.  That's the picture I have now. I am in a free fall, but I have such an incredible peace and sense of beauty as I float to the ground knowing that God is hovering over me. Nothing can go wrong! His eye is on me.  I can rest.