Sheltering in Place

A Journal During the Coronovirus Pandemic
Reflections and Inspiration from Maple Grove
June 7, 2020

It is the first week of June and the twelfth week since the sheltering-in-place order was given.  Our area has just entered the "green phase" of re-opening. Shops and restaurants are beginning to open, and people are getting together again. It's a beautiful time of year with everything growing greener and flowers blooming.  We've been shooing the Robins away from building nests on our porch rafters and window sills.  They love to build in areas where overhead cover such as roofs or overhangs provide shelter.  I was caught off guard when I discovered a Robin's nest in my Clematis plant.

There are plenty of sturdy trees on our property, but maybe "real estate" was overcrowded.  For some reason this little Robin thought the Clematis plant would be a nice home for sheltering-in-place. It's a pretty home, that's for sure. My concern for this little lady is that she did not build very high off the ground, the plant is not the most sturdy choice, and there is not much protection from wind and rain.  Besides that, she built right next to the garden gate where I enter every day, and the Potting Shed where my grandchildren love to play "house."  (In this photo you can see the Robin's head in the top-center of the plant.)

This scene led me to think about the whole "sheltering-in-place" saga.  It was meant for protecting our health and our very lives.  There has been a lot of controversy over that opinion, as that which was meant to protect us also cost us dearly in terms of people's incomes and livelihood, and a myriad of other societal and health issues.  Was sheltering-in-place more beneficial or more harmful to our nation?  That will surely be debated for decades to come.

There is a Shelter, however, where everyone can find all the security and protection that is eternally needed:

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, 'My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.' For He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and a buckler. . . . Because he holds fast to Me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows My name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation." (Psalm 91:1-4; 14-16)

Jesus, however, didn't tell us to shelter "in place."  He told us to "Go."  With Him as our Shelter, our Refuge and our Shield, He commands us to:

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20).

Lord, You are a Mighty Shield, our Protector, our Redeemer.  Thank you for your love and for the people in my life who led me to You.  Forgive me when I am weak, and give me strength, I pray, to live each day as one of your faithful disciples. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Links:

"Lady Robin" Series

St. Luke Worship Service - June 7, 2020

Coronavirus Journal:

May 31, 2020 - All the Colors of the Rainbow
May 24, 2020 - Growing Vertically and Horizontally
May 17, 2020 - God Bless America
May 10, 2020 - Cleaning and Repairing Cluckingham Palace
May 3, 2020 - Be a Child
April 26, 2020 - Serve a Very Cheery Pie
April 19, 2020 - Waiting and Waiting
April 12, 2020 - Planting for New Growth
April 5, 2020 - The Grass is Always Greener
March 29, 2020 - Stay at Home
March 22, 2020 - Look Beyond the Challenge

Other Devotions by Katie:

Pea Gravel
Red Sky at Night