Day 497 - October 25 - He will carry you?

And so another week passes, another week begins. Connor is pretty much as healthy as an ox - his O2 saturation is up for the most part, he's not having difficulty with his lungs or anything - he's got one thing we're trying to figure out, which is that if he's not actively engaged in a conversation or some activity, he drifts off. This hasn't been happening before, so we're trying to make sure he's OK. He's got blood work to do tomorrow to check his blood gases; we're wondering if he might be retaining too much CO2, which might make him extra drowsy. Unfortunately, the only way we can check that is with some blood tests, so please be praying for him and his health.

I think alot. Maybe too much, some would say. But I've been thinking over the last week or so about something I saw in a card in a store last week - I saw a greeting card with a poem on it, and I haven't been able to stop wondering about that poem. You see, I'm a word picture kind of guy. It helps me to visualize things to "see" them in words, so I like word pictures. But I also like them to be accurate, at least as far as they go.

Perhaps the most famous word picture of the last 70 years is a poem called "Footprints in the Sand" - where the author sees scenes from her life and notices that during the hard times, there's only one set of footprints. You've read it somewhere, I'm sure, but if you haven't, click here to read it...
Anyway, that's the poem that was on the greeting card.

Now, I think it's safe to say that the last 16 months in the Williamson household have been fairly hard. And during that time, I'm not sure I could point my finger at it and say "you know, I could sure tell that God was carrying us through that time". So I got to thinking - doesn't "being carried" imply some sort of security or comfort? I mean, what do little kids do when their parents pick them up and carry them when they're hurt or scared? They bury their heads into Mom or Dad's neck until they feel better, right? You've all seen it - the little child gets frightened by the dog or the strange man in the store or something else new to his experience, and he immediately turns and grabs hold of Mom's leg until she picks him up and makes him feel safe again. That's what I picture when I think about God carrying us through stuff.

But I don't feel that way. I don't feel safe, or protected, or secure until the bad thing goes away. Instead, I feel exposed, and scared, and threatened, and lonely. I just don't feel like we're being carried here.

So, me being me, I looked it up. I did a search to find the Scriptural references that support the idea that God carries us when bad things happen. And guess what I found. You guessed it - it's not in there.

Like so often seems to be happening these days, another of the things I thought were true just isn't - at least not in the sense that we think. I searched for any reference I could find of God carrying us through the tough times, and it's not in there! Go look!

Here's what I found - there are two references to God carrying people; one each in Isaiah 40 and 46, and neither are aimed at "hey, you're having a hard time so I'll pick you up". Chapter 40 in particular talks about little sheep being carried, and so I got to thinking - what would that word picture look like? When a shepherd carries a lamb, it's not when it's in danger. Think about it - the shepherd has responsibility for all of his flock, not just one - and so when there's danger around, he doesn't tie up his hands by filling them with baby lambs; he leaves them in the flock so his hands and feet are free to go face the threat. He doesn't just carry lambs for the fun of it - they have to walk along with the flock just like all the other sheep. And he doesn't carry lambs when they're sick - he tends them, yes - but he doesn't sling them over his shoulders and carry them around all day.

Hmmm, says I. So the only real reference to God carrying His people is when He refers to them as tiny lambs - which are, after all, baby sheep. That verse also says He "gently leads" those that are with young, so it seems to me that (despite my fervent wishes), God doesn't lug us around too much. Instead, he knows that the older, stronger sheep know the Shepherd's voice and follow instead.

So, another really good word picture shot down for lack of Biblical support. Hmm. Maybe I should just look there instead of relying on an inspirational poster - waddya think? 8-) Same thing with that song "He will carry you" -

So I continue to think of how kids behave when they're growing up, and I can remember the time when Connor and Joélle could hardly pause before climbing into my arms when they were scared or hurt. But I can also remember the time coming when I tried to hold them when they were hurting, and they didn't need or want it anymore. They had grown up so much that even if I had wanted to pick them up and hold them, they were just too big. They had matured beyond the need to be up in Dadda's arms to feel safe. Yeah, they still get hugs now and again, but the days of Dad hoisting them up into the protection of his arms are long gone.

Maybe it's a sign of spiritual immaturity, but I really want to be carried here. We're tired of walking this path. It's scary. It's intimidating. It's dry, and thirsty, and lonely. I would love to be picked up in some strong arms and just know that I was safe. But I'm one of the adult sheep - I don't get to do that. But I know my shepherd's voice, and so even though I'm scared I still follow. I just wish He would get us out of this scary place. Soon.

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