what does it mean to live under the shadow of God's wing? growing up, several of my favorite songs have the words "under the shadow of Your wing" there's the idea of safety, protection, comfort, under His wing. but what does that really mean? and then there's the image of God and He soars like an eagle in the wind. as a child, i always imagined that God was a big, powerful eagle, and as He soared in the sky, there's little me that's hiding right under His wing, safe from everything else.
this past weekend was good friday and easter, a time where we remember the death of Christ and celebrate His resurrection. while most people were in church, at meditative services, i was out in the country, at a barn, mowing this huge lawn on a beastly mower. so i asked God to teach me something while i was VERY HAPPILY driving this mower with all its power. plus, it felt like i was riding a horse which made it even more awesome. up and down, back and forth. as much fun as i was having with the mower, when u have a big area to cover, it slowly will begin to get a tad boring.
so i'm going fast on this great beastly mower, having the time of my life (yes, it was very exciting to this Asian kid that has never mowed a lawn), and all of a sudden, i see this huge shadow coming from above me and it looked like a bird so i literally thought that this giant bird was going to attack me from the top/behind and started slowing down to a stop. in the middle of the field.(mind you, there were people around who were preparing for a wedding reception. which was why i was 'rushing' to get this field mowed). then the shadow got smaller so i looked up, just to make sure there really wasn't anything that was going to attack me. but instead of this giant bird flying through the sky as i was expecting, this "giant bird" was merely a hawk catching the wind and soaring through the sky.
my first thought? "WOW". now i feel enlightened about the phrase "under the shadow of Your wing". the idea of being safe under the shadow of His wing makes so much sense now, not because we're small, but because the shadow is HUGE. also, to create such a huge shadow, God has to be above us, and He watches us from above, with the bird's eye view, keep us safe from all danger.
something i've learned recently is that God really can teach you through anything. especially when you least expect it. you just have to ask. so next time you're stuck doing something and you're at the brink of boredom, ask God to teach you something through whatever you're doing. if He can teach me something when i was happily mowing the field on the monster mower, imagine what else He could teach you if you asked of Him.
