Story
The mother took little Peggy into her room to take a nap. Mom said, "Let's pull down the shades, Peggy, so you can sleep well." The next morning there was a thick fog covering the window in Peggy's bedroom. The little girl walked into the kitchen, and seeing her mother, she said, "Mom, God must be napping, for He's pulled down His shades, too."
Psalm 121 A Pilgrim Song (The Message) 1-2 I look up to the mountains; does my strength come from mountains? No, my strength comes from God, who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.
3-4 He won't let you stumble, your Guardian God won't fall asleep. Not on your life! Israel's Guardian will never doze or sleep.
5-6 God's your Guardian, right at your side to protect you— Shielding you from sunstroke, sheltering you from moonstroke.
7-8 God guards you from every evil, he guards your very life. He guards you when you leave and when you return, he guards you now, he guards you always.
Comments
We are never alone, though sometimes we feel alone. Spirit is always with us, and She never takes a nap. We live in the Living Christ. How can we be apart from the Father, in Whom we live?
Take your breathing. How can breathing be apart from air it breathes? Do you have to feel or be conscious of breathing for breathing and breath to keep you conscious, giving the body essential oxygen for life? Are you awake to the togetherness of breathing and breath during sleep? No. So, this Sober Alertness of God toward us, indeed our Union with God, is not dependent on our consciousness of it. Our being creatures makes it impossible for continued wakefulness to the Union; we contrast with Spirit, Who is always awake to us, and conscious of loving Togetherness with us and us within Herself.
**OneLife writings are offered by Brian K. Wilcox, a United Methodist pastor serving in the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church. Brian lives a vowed contemplative life with his two dogs, Bandit Ty and St. Francis, in North Florida. OneLife writings are for anyone seeking to live and share love, joy, and peace in the world and in devotion to God as she or he best understands God.
The Peace of Christ to All!
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