The Everlasting Arms
Read Psalm 139 verses 7-12
My cat was jumpy tonight. She leapt up onto the bed only to find that she'd landed on a brand new duvet cover. She was so surprised that she very nearly somersaulted straight back off again. She wasn't at all reassured by seeing me installed beneath it. She advanced towards me very reluctantly, inch by twitchy inch, suspicious of the unfamiliar smells, balking at the unexpected patterns.
I offered her the silky ribbon from my Bible bookmark, something that usually fascinates her, but she didn't take the bait. I held out one of my dangly earrings and she edged a little bit closer. Finally she was near enough for me to scratch her chin and cheeks, and at last she forgot her fear and began to purr contentedly. As I write she's curled up between my feet and, give or take a bit of shuffling around when I settle down to sleep, she'll be there until morning.
We can be a bit like that when we find ourselves "catapulted" into new life situations. We either become nervous and edgy, overreacting like my cat Cleo or alternatively, we retreat into ourselves in order to escape from the uncomfortable reality that surrounds us. The latter tendency often results in a doom and gloom scenario. We wear ourselves out worrying about things that will never happen. Either way, we forget that God is still there. Underneath the unfamiliar surroundings are the everlasting arms of our loving Heavenly Father. Whatever the circumstances in which we find ourselves, He is faithful and true, He can't be anything else. The same yesterday, today and forever.
Don't mess about, don't let yourself get stressed or depressed. When He holds his hands out to you, go straight to Him. Let him calm and cradle you. Then you too can take your place resting in perfect peace at the Father's feet.
Sarah Cunnington is an English artist who lives in France. When not painting or teaching, she writes poems, songs and posts on her website. She loves to sing folk, gospel, and her own Christian songs. To see her work go to artbysarahcunnington.com