Reflecting...a take off on taking off.

I don’t like to think of myself as a “Helicopter mom” – a label to describe the kind of parent who hovers above the family, overseeing every detail. That is, I don’t want to limit the influence of outsiders, which often is positive and not something to fear despite what my fears may be yelling in my ear at any particular moment. I really don’t want to obstruct someone’s natural growth toward autonomy. But I do admit to being an avid “flight tracker.” I mean that in every sense, even literally! Everyone in my family will quickly tell you, I track their air travel online. (To be completely honest, I check in when they travel by train or automobile too!) I like to know where they are and that they are OK.

In the bible that’s compatible with shepherding, I think. I hope. I wonder if shepherding carried with it the same sometimes-negative reputation for hovering that we associate with helicopters. As far as I know, all a helicopter provides that might be used as a possible warning device is a loudspeaker or radio. I’ve often repeated advice as the kids went out the door. I’ve found that while a parent might feel frustrated when ‘talking to the hand,’ there’s a different, deeper fear when 'calling out to the backs' of those you love as they race off to what seems -- to them -- to be a great adventure. I remember from pictures in Sunday school that a shepherd carried a crook to physically pull sheep back from the edge of danger. Evidently that tool hasn’t survived in good enough condition to be handed down through the generations.

What kind of spiritual guides are we? How is that done today?

Right at this very moment, my son is is in a CRJ 200 poised for lift-off on a runway in Minneapolis. Poised is a poetic word that probably doesn't fit this particular experience at all! I actually think he may be gripping the armrests. That’s what I do. And hopefully he’s reminding himself to breathe, the way a personal trainer reminds everyone to breathe when doing a strenuous number of crunches or lats. Ultimately in life, we each self-monitor by remembering and applying what we’ve heard when the moment is right. That’s how it is to be interdependent, to have personal responsibility while at the same time to be guided by an all-seeing God. We remember, we trust, we go forward, and we breathe a prayer.

There are so many dangerous places in this world for a son or daughter to be. Danger rains down on Israel and the Gaza strip; it sweeps across Iraqi sands and makes the borders of Pakistan, India and Afghanistan collide and shudder. Danger that is more subtle or secretive is still danger. Abandoned alleys or wide-open city parks can be deceptive. Any door slammed shut drums a warning. We who live in safer places often don't realize what danger we are in. Sometimes even our own thoughts are dangerous.

The good news, however, is a discovery that, perhaps, we can only make out there -- that our Lord, our Good Shepherd, climbs aboard for the ride of our lives, whether smooth or turbulent. His mother knew my concerns. "And a sword will pierce your own soul too" (Luke 2.35b) she was told and that was very true. Still, he faced danger and he survived death and he will accompany us all the way.

My son has lifted off. I stop holding my breath when I remind myself he's not alone. This is our bold claim: that everywhere God's grace and peace form spectacular, billowing clouds beneath and around us.

"Much Grace..." Pastor Shirley