I rested my head on his chest. The hour was late. The house was still and my world was perfect.

Perfection didn’t take the form of right-side-up couch pillows, a clean kitchen sink or completed laundry. No. It was so much better.

You see just a few feet down the hall three other people were sound asleep. Every single one of our kids was HOME. Tucked in. Resting in their beds.

Safe.

Sound.

Sheltered.

I whisper to Doc,

This is what heaven will be like for me. Everyone I love will be safe and close by.

Unfortunately, this state of bliss has become a bit of a rarity. My kids are always on the fly.

College calls.

Jobs take them out-of-town or out-of-state.

Friends, activities, commitments yank and pull. Someone is always missing from our tribe.

It. Is. Hard.

When just one of them is gone I feel like the 2 is gone from my “O” and a part of my soul suffocates in their absence.

It isn’t that I don’t want them to go. I do!

I love the thought of them growing, exploring, and expanding their horizons. The problem is that I’ve seen too many horizons peppered with ugly options and even uglier consequences.

The world is a hard place and I suspect it will only get harder.

I just want them safe, sound——–

Sheltered.

If only we could keep them wrapped in our arms and tucked under our wings.

Wouldn’t it be something if we could capture that feeling all the time? Anytime?

What would you say if I told you we can?

The past two years God has patiently taught me about shelter. A shelter that is so much better than a bed under shingles that a mere earthly Dad and Mom provide.

The type of shelter I’m talking about is:

Impermeable.

Impregnable.

Impossible to escape.

Impossible to break.

Hard core.

To the core.

Never fleeting.

Never Leaving.

Always on call.

Can be called on always.

This shelter is of the most high and comes from the Most High.

It’s not fleeting, but faithful like the beating of a Father’s heart that pulses with love and affection.

A Father who leaves these words of promise and hope——–

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge…” Psalm 91:1-4

“God is a safe place to hide, ready to help when we need him. We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom,courageous in sea storm and earthquake, Before the rush and roar of oceans, the tremors that shift mountains. Jacob-wrestling God fights for us, God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.” Psalm 46:1

My faith has expanded as I watch my nearly grown children leave the nest.

How about you?

Kiddo’s moving on?

Grandchildren headed to Jr. High?

Brother or sister headed overseas?

Today I’m praying that these verses bring you the same comfort they bring me as I lean into the One who loves my people even more than I.

{Be sure to stop over to Suzie Eller’s #livefree community sometime this weekend. Beautiful souls are sharing their thoughts on what shelter means to them.}

Your DoAhead Friend,

Cindy