An Ever-Steady Shadow

Yes, it was technically 25 minutes earlier than his bedtime, but I decided to put my two-year-old (and the rest of us) out of his misery a bit early tonight.  As he collapsed in a limp, defiant puddle on the floor just outside of his bedroom I asked him if he wanted to sing.  With the holidays and visitors the last few weeks we've been out of our bedtime routine, and I suspected he would welcome a snuggle and a song.  I was right, and he perked up immediately and came running.

It was one of his more tender moments today, to be sure.

I gathered my little fleece-laden sweetness into my arms and started swaying in his dark room as I tone-deafly sang an old favorite.

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God, My Father!
(he starts mumbling a toddler version of the lyrics)
There is no shadow of turning with Thee.
(His head pops up and he points to our shadow on the wall made by the night light. "Yes, that's right!  Shadow!" I naturally keep watching our shadow as we sing.)
Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not.
(Our shadow-selves sway back and forth, looking more like one melted being rather than two separate entities.)
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.
("Yeah, I caught it, God.")

Today is January 2.  A new year.  A new start. And already things have popped up that are making my blood pressure spike.  So much for easing our way in, huh.

Last year was a really tough one.  The kind where the first thing you say to your husband in the morning on New Year's Day is "Well, Babe, we survived 2015."  We had more challenges, new challenges, bitter challenges last year than I would call "fair", and through it all God proved Himself faithful time and time (and time a thousand times) again.

Back to the song.  The line "there is no shadow of turning" has always made me think of Indiana Jones.  (Hang with me here.)  Remember when Indy and his dad were riding on the blimp away from Germany, but then the shadows start moving around the room, and they realized they were headed in the opposite direction?  It was the turning shadows that clued them in they had to hightail it out of there.

But there is no shadow of turning with God.  He never does that.

Instead, like my shadow with my cranky baby, He sways back and forth, holding us tight, and making it hard to see where His arms end and our life begins.  He is so faithful.  Always faithful.  He has always been, and He always will be.  His shadow will never turn around.  He will never lead us the wrong way.  And His gentle arms will never let us go.

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.