How He Cares for You

He cares for you by tending, gathering, carrying and leading. Once you understand the depth of His love you can extend that same care to your children. God loves you, sweet child and he holds you close and gently leads you.

I meditated on these verses this morning and I want to break them apart and share some encouragement and comfort with you today.

He tends his flock like a shepherd:
    He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
    he gently leads those that have young.
Isaiah 40:11

He Cares for you by, Tending his Flock like a Shepherd

The word tend means to go or move in a particular direction. Have you ever watched a shepherd tend his flock? It is a pretty cool thing to witness. The shepherd whistles and calls out words but only his sheep know his voice. He uses his staff in different ways to point the directions in which these sheep should go. The sheep obey and trust their master and never try to go the wrong way. They trust that their master is leading them in the way they should go. This is how Jesus tends his flock, he uses his voice and tools to point us in a particular direction so that we know the way to go.

In the same way, with our children we must train them up in the way they should go. Tending them like a shepherd tends his flock.

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6

He Cares for you by, Gathering the Lambs in his Arms

When you look up the definition of gather, you will see that it means to come together. As you continue reading the definition, it says to take in from scattered places. This makes me think of the lost sheep and how He gathers them together when they go astray. This shows the magnitude of his love for us. No matter how far we go, no matter how lost we are, Jesus will find us and gather us. He takes the time to look for us when we are scattered and he will gather us in His arms. Oh, how comforting does that sound? He holds us like a baby, close in his arms and brings us to safety. Jesus, thank you for loving us and caring for us so well!

Do we gather our children in our arms? Even when they are older? Do we make time each day to look them in the eyes and make them feel like they matter? Do we hug them and hold them and remind them how special they are? It is so important that our children understand that we love them, they are special and that we see them and they matter.

He Cares for you by, Carrying you Close to his Heart

To carry means to support and move from one place to another.

Think of a sweet baby being carried by his mother as she picks him up from his bassinet. She holds him close to her heart. She breathes in the sweet smells of that baby. That mother draws her child in close for reassurance, comfort and love.

That baby knows his mommy, he knows the sweet smells and sounds of her voice. He recognizes her and he knows that he is safe when he is close to her heart. Loved one, I hope you can picture it, because THIS, this is the way that Jesus carries you!

No matter what you are going through, no matter how far off course you are… he loves you!

He knows you on a deeper level than anyone else can and He loves you still. You know his voice and as soon as you hear it and recognize that feeling of being carried and the safe feeling of comfort, you know you are in the presence of your father.

As you understand how much Jesus loves you and how you can seek refuge in Him. I pray your child knows how much you love them and that they can seek refuge in you. I pray you are their safe place. The place they run to for comfort and reassurance. The one they trust and know they can share anything. If you are someone who tends to react with the crazy questions and behaviors of children, ask Jesus to help you slow down and listen. You are a child of God too and he does not jump on you everytime you slip up. He carries you and helps you through the hard times.

Remember to seek a relationship with your child, spend time with them and allow them to just share their thoughts and questions in a non-judgemental safe place. I can guarantee you that your children will share more with you. They will feel loved by you and when they are older they will want to spend time with you on any ordinary day.

He Cares for you by, Gently Leading those who have young

Jesus leads which means to cause a person to go with someone (Jesus) by holding them by the hand while moving forward.

In says in God’s word that, Jesus does this gently. Which means we have to be humble and willing to be lead.

This is not a picture of a parent dragging their child by the hand to leave the park unwillingly. No, this gentleness can only be felt once we allow ourselves to be lead by him. We need to let go of our plans, preconceptions and feelings and allow Jesus to take our hand. It is only then that Jesus can gently take our hand and lead us forward.

Sometimes we find ourselves in a spiritual dry season or a time of overwhelm and we feel lost.

In these moments we need to take into account our innermost thoughts and dig deep. Is there something we are not letting go of? Are we not being slow enough or quiet enough to listen? Lay it all down at the feet of Jesus and put your hand out to him and allow him to lead. He gently leads because he allows us free will. He is a jealous God that wants us to desire to be with him and live for him. God does not control us to choose him.

I pray you have children with humble hearts that ask for help when they need it. I pray your children feel comfortable to ask you to guide them through life. But if they don’t, do not force it. I’m not saying you don’t have authority over your child and that they should not obey you. Quite the opposite. What I’m saying is, gently lead them and you will see them soften to your leadership. When you create a safe place for them, where they do not question your love for them, they will ask you to hold their hand and lead them. Whether they are at the point of allowing gentle leading or if they are still struggling, you my friend continue to gently lead.

He is with you, whether you are in a season of waiting or a season of making decisions.

I pray these verses comfort you and remind you of the truth found in God’s word. I pray you seek God for comfort and don’t look for comfort in anything else. When you allow him to, He will tend, gather, carry and lead you in the way you should go. Sometimes we need to move forward and when we do, He will tend us to continue or tend us to change course. He will close doors if we should not continue down a path. If we go totally off course, He will gather us from scattered places, in his arms. What comfort, we know He cares! And at times, when we cannot bear the weight to walk, He will carry us. Close to his chest comforting and protecting us and bringing us to another place. Lastly, He will gently lead us when we humble ourselves and ask. He will hold our hand while gently moving us forward.

There are times in life where we can walk but we need a distant shepherd tending us and there are times when we need our hand held. Some moments, we cannot stand anymore on our own feet and he gathers us in his arms and carries us close to his heart. It is such a beautiful thing, this loving God of ours and how he cares for us.

More Faith Posts: Distraction From Kingdom Work and Life is not balanced.

Sincerely, 
        Katy

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