Observation: This psalm uses such a beautiful metaphor, comparing the soul of the writer to a weaned child calmed by its mother. It could indicate that this psalm was written by a mom.
Application: This image hits home for me. This past weekend, I had a joyful reunion with my strong, smart, amazing wife and my beautiful, vital, imaginative kids. They have been down state while our house up here is being prepared for us to move in.
After our joyful reunion, we had a slightly less than joyful drive back down state to visit with my aunt and uncle. There were tears, tantrums, vomit, multiple bathroom breaks, overexhausted infants, the whole nine yards. A two and a half hour drive took us nearly four. It was such a relief to finally get there and be with our gracious hosts.
Everyone who's had small kids has said, "We've been there. It gets easier." It is definitely some comfort to know our kids are growing and learning, and not every family trip will be so hard.
But today I'm wondering: do we ever learn to comfort our spirits how we comfort our kids? Do we even notice when we are starting to throw a spiritual tantrum, insisting on having everything our own way or else? And once we do, have we found ways of being humble, like the psalmist, and remembering how precious little wisdom we truly have? I'm hoping to work on that some more: knowing when my soul is getting fussy, and finding ways to give it what it needs--which is very different from what it wants.
Prayer: God, teach me how to comfort my soul. Teach me humility. Guide me in growth. Amen.
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