When I Drop a Pencil . . .
We live in God’s orderly universe. We can count on Him to make the sun rise in the morning and set in the evening. God started things out that way in the beginning. After the flood, He promised that He would continue doing so, saying:
While the earth remains,
Seedtime and harvest,
And cold and heat,
And summer and winter,
And day and night
Shall not cease.
Genesis 8:22
It is comforting to know that God is keeping things going as He has since the beginning. Day after day, month after month, year after year, God’s orderly universe reminds us of His constant and predictable care.
The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
Day to day pours forth speech,
And night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words;
Their voice is not heard.
Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their utterances to the end of the world.
Psalm 19:1-4a
We can hardly imagine what it would be like if the universe was unpredictable. What if the earth wasn’t in an orbit? What if it wandered aimlessly through the solar system? What if it drifted toward Venus or crashed into the moon?
When I drop a pencil, I know that gravity will always pull it to the ground. I know that it isn’t going to float across the room and poke my husband in the eye. Imagine what it would be like if we never knew what would happen when we dropped a pencil.
A woman drawing,
Cooper Union Art School, c. 1860.
Courtesy of the Library of Congress.
What if we went to a basketball game and the players didn’t know what would happen when they dribbled the ball? What if sometimes it flew forward uncontrollably and the next time backward and the next time it hit the ceiling?
Our loving Father provides so much that is rock solid. We absolutely know what is going to happen in many circumstances. This predictability makes life possible. In the same way, children desperately need to live in loving, predictable families. Think of the poor child who wakes up in the morning not knowing whether his mama will feed him breakfast and lunch today or what man will be hugging his mama this morning or whether anyone will be there when he comes home from school.
None of us gets up in the morning and knows everything that will happen that day, but we do know the sun will rise, the sun will set, a pencil will hit the floor if we drop it, and a ball will go to the floor and bounce if we dribble it. Our children don’t have to have rigidly predictable lives. Spontaneity and surprises are great. Still, a child’s universe also needs stability and predictability.
The wise mama finds a good balance for her children.
. . . God is not a God of confusion
but of peace . . .
1 Corinthians 14:33
Don’t forget Laura’s birthday party on Wednesday, February 7, at 2:00 p.m. Central. You can click on this image to register.
