Day 23: Psalm 23

Tonight, on our evening walk, both of my oldest two boys took hard spills on their bikes. While all three of our boys are different, pain has a way of making them the same.

The moment they fall they instantly want mom or dad. There’s rarely anything we can do to fix the problem, but I think it’s human nature, no one wants to suffer alone.

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When Hayden fell this evening, I picked him up and put his heart next to mine. The first thing I noticed was how fast he was breathing. I told him to try and match his breath to mine so he could tell me where his body hurt. To be honest, I don’t know if it really helps him, but it always makes me feel like I’m a good father. I’ve always tried to raise them to let them go, not suffocating them with direction, but these little moments remind me of the importance of a father and how small they still are. In Psalm 23, The Message version, it says:

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God, my shepherd! I don’t need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from. True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. Psalm 23:1-3

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I love the image of God in verse three. I think the Psalmist knows that when we are sad, God scoops us up, presses His heart to ours, and waits for us to catch our breath. While you and I rush through our lives with fierce independence like a child learning to ride a bicycle, God is always there. If we think of the sad moments as opportunities to catch our breath and be close enough to God to hear Him breathe, perhaps we’d see meaning in the sadness.

Press your heart to His today. He will let you catch your breath.

Jared