Guest Post by Mona Chicks
The other day, I watched the epic battle between a crow and a mama bear. Well, perhaps it was a rabbit but it was functioning as a mama bear. It all started when a crow noticed that the two adult rabbits which were munching the grass of our back yard weren't alone. Tucked near the foot of a giant arborvitae was a baby bunny, no bigger than a baseball. The crow swooped in, the bunnies scattered. I saw the baby's teeny tail scoot under the big bush just in time. And then mama rabbit got mad. She chased that crow back and forth across our yard several times, until finally the crow gave up and went elsewhere for dinner.
Mamas can be quite protective. We don't all do it in healthy ways, and sometimes we can be downright overprotective or unhealthy in the manner we try to care for our babies. And, sadly, some mamas aren't able to care for their munchkins in the ways those littles deserve.
There was a time in my son's life that the mama bear in me came out fiercely. My son was in 1st grade, and his teacher didn't understand him. She was seeing him through the lens of her own child, and wasn't able to see the child he was. I became seriously overprotective during that year because I watched my happy boy turning into a sad, traumatized kid who didn't believe in himself. To this day if someone says certain things to me, Mama Bear starts roaring inside - and my Chicklet is 23!
It is natural to want to protect your young. That's why this week's scripture is so meaningful when it talks about God sheltering us under her wings.
Psalm 17 says,
I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God.
Bend down and listen as I pray.
Show me your unfailing love in wonderful ways
By your mighty power you rescue those who seek refuge from their enemies.
Guard me as you would guard your own eyes.
Hide me in the shadow of your wings.
Consider that - just like a mama rabbit protecting her young, God covers and protect us from harm. Unlike our human mothers, the security we find under God's wing is just what we need - not too little, not too much. It is perfectly matched to who we are. This doesn't mean that bad things don't happen to us. I have those same questions about God's protection that you do - why does God let bad things happen? But in the middle of bad things, or hard things, or sad things, we can find comfort in that wing that tucks us into its cozy warmth.
Our mama bunny still hovers nearby, and occasionally I see our friend crow checking things out. But those little babies are becoming more bold with the knowledge that mama isn't far off. The picture above is one of them, now the size of a softball.
*If this weekend is difficult for you, please know that you are loved. Not everyone has the relationship with their mother they wish to have. Not all mamas have been able to care for their babies the way the babies need. Some mamas have died, some mamas have disappeared, some mamas and kids are estranged. Some of us wish we could be mamas but aren't able to be. You are all in my heart this weekend.
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