1/7/21

 Shield in the Wasteland

                  In a desert land He found him, in a barren and howling waste.  He shielded him and cared for him; He guarded him as the apple of His eye, like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them aloft.

                                                                                                                                Deuteronomy 32:10-11

Deuteronomy 32 is a call to the people of Israel to remember all of the things that God has done for them.  The passage above specifically refers to the ways that the Lord has protected and guarded His people as they were in a hostile land.  This language portrays God as the Protector and Healer, as Teacher and Rescuer…as a Good Parent.  Never once does it seem that the Lord is disappointed in those He guards because they were not good enough or strong enough to take care of themselves.  Never does it appear that God is resentful and impatient for His children to just toughen up.  Whether it is the person struggling in the wasteland or the baby eagle peering out of its nest, the consistent message of this passage is that this world is hard…it will kill you if you are unprepared.

As a parent, my head has always been on a swivel, trying to see where the dangers to those that I love may be coming from.  Where is the traffic?  Where are the bullies?  What is he eating off the ground?  I have been the shield for my son for most of his life.  But even in that passage above, Shield is not the final goal.  The people are led out of the wasteland.  The baby eagles learn to fly and go out into the world.  The goal is not that someone would be protected for their entire life; the goal is that they would be led to safety then equipped to handle the dangers of the world.

Welcome to my struggle with Tae Kwon Do.  My son joined when he was 13 for a variety of beneficial reasons.  He has enjoyed it and it has been good for him.  And I have to regularly watch as this boy, whom I have diligently guarded from the dangers of the world, gets punched and kicked by others.  And he punches and kicks as well.  And he emerges sweaty and sore and smiling.  Some days I can take it and I see the benefits.  Some days I cannot.  The final goal…I have to tell myself this on a regular basis…the final goal is not that I will be his shield for the rest of his days.  The final goal is that we help him develop the resources that he needs to survive this world:  self-confidence, physical strength, community, and resiliency to name a few.  It hurts my heart to see my kiddo get hit or come home crying.  That is when I have to turn to God as my shield and protector as I face the wasteland of hopelessness and despair.

A moment to reflect:

What are ways that you can move away from being the Shield and help your child build resources instead?

Refrigerator Art of the Day

D Age 13

2021 Update:

Included in our Shield vs. Resources debate has been how to talk with all our kids about what is happening in our world in politics and current events and social justice.  How much do we just keep them isolated at home while the chaos of the world rages outside and how much do we step into what is happening and why?  What do we say about the storming of the capitol or the difference in police responses with MAGA and BLM?  More things we are working through without satisfactory answers.