Like a Dog with a Bone

Recently, I awoke in the middle of the night, thinking about the Traveler's Insurance advertisement  "Prized Possession." You know. It's the commercial about the dog who worries himself sick protecting his bone.  

Listen to the ad in its entirety (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G7bGBUlx2M) and smile.

    

I can't watch it without chuckling.  However, in the wee hours of the morning, I was puzzled as to why I awakened thinking about the dog.  Normally, when I wake up prematurely, I am worrying about one of my adult children. Then came the epiphany.

http://www.lookslikelightning.com.  

My children are my bones.  Just like the dog in the commercial who tried hiding his bone under the carpet, in the laundry basket, out in the yard, and in a bank vault, I am trying to protect my children.  Yet, I cannot do a thing to keep trouble from touching them.  If I could lock them in a bank vault, they wouldn't be protected. 

http://www.lifeathand.com.

Why? Because we live in a fallen world.  As the lyrics performed by Ray LaMontagne in the You Tube commercial go, " Trouble, trouble, trouble...Trouble has been doggin' my soul since the day I was born."  

Consequently, I think I need a good child-protection-insurance.  I need a red umbrella.

http://www.deviantart.com. photo by: caleum

I don't think insurance carriers make such a product. Anyway, insurance isn't all that secure.  Even a mammoth carrier like AIG is fragile.

 So, am I destined to toss and turn incessantly? 

Trouble is part of life.  You can't escape it, hide from it, or protect your children from it.  But--and here is the anxiety-reducing red umbrella--we have the triune God. 

God is our heavenly Father.  He cares about his children.  Isaiah 49:15 tells us,  "Even if a mother forgets (and that isn't likely, if I am a typical mother), I will not forget you...See I have engraved you on the palm of my hand." 

http://www.abundance-and-happiness.com/jesus-quotes.html

The heavenly Father proved his love when he sent his Son into the world "...not to condemn the world, but to save the world through him" (John 3:17). 

God the Father illustrated his love repeatedly.  For example, the Father spoke after Christ's baptism."This is my beloved son, in whom I am well-pleased," But then, immediately, the Father sent his Son into the desert to be tempted by the cosmic evil. 

The Temptation of Christ by Sandro Botticelli

 Why?  To prove that Christ is our brother.  He has felt our troubles.  (Hebrews 2:17 says,  "...he had to be made like his brothers...in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest.")

Thankfully, Jesus didn't just feel our pain.  In withstanding temptation, our elder brother succeeded where we fail.  Because he did not sin and does not deserve punishment, he is the only perfect substitute to take ours.  On the cross, Christ's blood paid our debts.  His blood is our red umbrella.   

The Passion of the Christ

What is more, Christ arose victorious over sin and death. His victory assures us and our children ultimate safety.  In the meantime,  the Lord is fighting for us, holding up the banner of his love. 

Piero della Francesca, in The Resurrection, depicts Christ waging war for us against evil.

Forty days after Christ's resurrection, he ascended into heaven, but not without leaving the Holy Spirit--the third member of the Trinity. (Jesus promised in John 14:16-17, "He will give you another Counselor (Comforter) to be with you forever--the Spirit of truth.") The Spirit is our guarantee of eternal life.  (Ephesians 1: 13 says, "Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance...")

http://iamthewordthecomforter.blogspot.com/2008/03/jesus-had-to-die-so-holy-spirit-could.html

You can't beat the security provided by the triune God.  No wonder the Lord commands us, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything...present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and mind in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:5).

The bottom line is:  I don't have to perseverate over my children's safety. The triune God has them under the red umbrella of his love.

(This post is dedicated to my dear friend whose daughter's baby, just this week, went safely to heaven and is now being held in the Lord's hands waiting for the ultimate reunion.)