ABOVE ME, BENEATH ME, BEFORE ME...

      It's been one of "those" weeks. You know... When the week holds more interruptions and trials than any week should hold... When I feel the impact of Paul's words concerning the Body of Christ: "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it." My own heart breaks for those I care about as they face harsh realities of life: sickness, death, damaged relationships, threatening and hateful words, abuse, broken hearts, overwhelming fears and pressures, and very ugly truths coming to light. Add to that, the frustration of the mundane--plumbing, electrical, and a/c problems, overtaxed schedule, and everyday busyness; and I was slowly unraveling. Most of the battles and struggles had not been my own but in loving and serving others, I had reached my limit. I'm not complaining--If I had to do it all over again, I would still be right where I am doing what I do simply because God has called me and I CHOOSE to follow. It's just that sometimes the load of responsibility looms large and there's nowhere to hide from it. So yeah--it's been one of those unrelenting weeks, leaving little or r no time for meditation. God's presence seemed so very far away...
     But in simple small ways, God shows up just when I need Him and reminds me where He is. And this week, He granted a brief and blessed respite from the stresses that seemed to surround me. I had the honor of spending some time with a sweet and very tiny friend as Mom sat at the bedside of a fading life and Dad took a much needed pause from the watch. My role was simply to keep this little one happy and calm in the in-between times so they could be where God needed them to be. So to entertain her, we strolled the halls of the hospital watching people pass and enjoying each other's company. Though we've only shared a few scattered hours together before, she has already learned that we have a common passion--the love of melody and song. To keep this tiny tot calm and collected outside of Mom's presence, I simply sing. I can't explain why it works--it just does.
      I'm sure the sight and sound of it must have been comical to others...this unlikely duo. Remembering the last time together I suppose, she began to sing and I was so blessed at that sweet small baby voice that I just listened. This tender moment was one to be treasured, but she soon let me know quite loudly and rambunctiously that she had no intention of singing a solo! This was to be a duet performance!  And so we wandered the hospital hallways--she in her stroller singing and waving at the doctors, staff, and patients who passed by and me singing and pushing behind her as if it were the most natural thing in the world--albeit with an occasional pause to allow these same stranger/friends ooh and ah over her cuteness. Maybe it was the most natural thing...
     My young songbird especially seemed to like one particular song best, one I also used to sing with my own daughter many years ago. So we serenaded each other down one corridor after another. If I stopped singing with her, she protested... So I would sing with her again. Her baby voice can't form the words yet, but I can't help but wonder if, in some innate sense, the certainty of them had somehow already settled in her baby heart...

They're all above me, beneath me, before me. They're all around me.

My Father's Angels all protect me everywhere.
I could never stray so far my Father would lose sight of where I am.

Angels go before me holding tightly to my hand...

     At first the words were more for her benefit than mine. Admittedly, when I arrived at the hospital to watch over this little girl, I was feeling a little lost and alone in the burdens of the week. But in the intimacy of these tender moments, those child-like words washed over me and I began to find my way again. No matter how great the burden, how high the hurdle, how deep the hurt, or how lost I may become in the process of living and serving, He never loses sight of me. Just as He never loses sight of this precious little one who so stirs my heart or for her great great uncle whose life faded away in the hours that followed. As my Father's promise began to soothe my weary spirit, the eyes of my heart saw His many angels surround each and every heartbreaking circumstance that grieved my soul. And suddenly, as my special little "angel" continued her sweet wordless melody in the quietness of the hallway, she reminded me so sweetly: He never abandons or forsakes us. He is always as near as the mention of His name.