Confession 221: Hemmed In

 You have searched me, LORD,
   and you know me.  You know when I sit and when I rise;
   you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down;
   you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue
   you, LORD, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before,
   and you lay your hand upon me. Psalm 139:1-5

This morning I awoke with my 3 year old wedged in between my husband and I.  He's there most nights, pattering in sometime in the wee hours with his blankie in tow.  I toss him into the middle of the bed and he nestles down beneath the blankets, curling his little body into my big one and tucking his head under my chin.  With Mommy's arms around him and Daddy's hand upon him he settles himself into the sweet dreams of childhood.  Philosophies of child rearing aside, I know this time is short and it is therefore precious to me, even through the squirming and kicking.

As I was holding my son this morning I thought about the above passage, specifically the idea of being hemmed in.  It occurred to me that as my son nestled snugly between my husband and I, hemmed in on both sides, that this is precisely what God does for us.  You hem me in behind and before... We, God's children, are nestled snugly within him.  God wants us to rest sweetly in him, no matter what our lives may bring.  In the wee hours of our lives-- when the darkness seems so present, so pervasive, so prolonged--God says, "Come to me.  You are safe in this night."

Blessings and Peace,

Sara