By her stripes she is known!

Did you know that a mother zebra will separate her young foal from the heard for a brief time so that her offspring can learn the pattern of her stripes? Prior to this she has been protecting, guiding, nourishing and being close to her offspring. Then she knows that for her offspring to survive she needs to know that her stripes are known so that her foal will know how to find her when the need arises.

This is true for parents as well. Let me invite you to my table for a bit. Our daughter has just gone off to college, a big step for her and us. It has made me think of all the times that we let her separate from us. Going to pre-school, then kindergarten, driving and even flying across the country with a girlfriend to visit friends, and then alone on the plane to visit. Each time has been a lesson for her and us. Each time there is a part of my heart that aches, but I know it is necessary. I can only imagine that the mother zebra has angst too because she knows of the dangers that lie outside the herd. I am reminded of the text in 1 Peter 5:8 "Be alert and sober minded. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."

This is why is is so important that you and your child spend time together when they are young and as they grow. Yes there are circumstances that force working parents to put their child in childcare early. When this happens make special time when you are together to connect. Try not to use the electronic media to babysit your child. Create a special bedtime routine that is filled with story books, snuggles, and intimate time. If the child is old enough engage them in helping to prepare the evening meal. I have helped many families create time that allows them to stay attached in a healthy way so that when something happens they know how to come back into the fold.

The book of 1 Peter 2:24 states that "by whose stripes we have been healed." We are in essence in His herd and we have been left with His Holy Spirit to guide us. I know that by accepting His sacrifice on the cross, knowing that it was sin, my sin that left those stripes on His body, but yet He loved me so, that He chose to stay on the cross so that I would have a way to be with Him in heaven. It is His stripes that heal me, direct me and keep me coming back to Him in prayer and Bible study. I have to be able to sit at His feet and see His stripes and comprehend His love in order to know where to go when I hear the lion roar. Be it an illness, relationship issue, or just life that seeks to steel my Peace in Jesus, I must know Him intimately always.

Do you know His stripes? Do you make time for your children to know your stripes?