What We Need to Survive

An end-of-summer mini-vacation, quickly followed by the back-to-school scramble, kept me from blogging for over a week but it was definitely worth it. One thing that God is teaching me these days is the importance of putting my kids’ needs ahead of my goals. In the process I know that I enjoyed the summer much more than usual. Now that it’s over, I’m so glad that I followed God’s direction. There is plenty of time for writing and blogging when the boys are in school. Time for enjoying them, however, won’t last forever.

During our mini-vacation, my boys and I went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, where we were reminded of God’s amazing creativity (and, as Christian and I discussed, His incredible sense of humor). We watched a short film about deep and mid-ocean sea life. The docent explained that the creature living in the mid-ocean do not have rocks or reefs to hide behind. In order to protect themselves from predators most are transparent or so dark that they blend in with the water. On top of that, 90% of these creatures create their own light. Many were indescribably strange looking. Yet God gave each one of these creatures what it needed to survive, just as He does for us.

Lately I have needed a lot of reminders that my loving Heavenly Father does and will provide what I need. Learning about a mysterious variety of creature that He designed complete with built-in light and protection left me wonder-struck. He weaves each of us together with exactly what we need to survive. And if we find that we need something that we were not born with—such as courage, or strength, or the perseverance to live in crisis mode for years on end—He has this beautiful way of bringing it out in us. Then the next time we need that trait, it’s already there.

God, thank you for creating me with all I would need to survive in the environment you placed me in. Thank you for filling me with Your light. Help me to reflect it today.