The Lord will watch over your going out and your coming in, from this time forth forevermore.
—Psalm 121:8
Psalm 121 is probably my favorite Psalm. But verse 8 has a special meaning these days. At the
beginning of August, Isaac moved out of our house and into an apartment. It’s been an
adjustment to not have him at home. At the beginning of September, we will be taking Evelyn
to PLU to begin her college journey. Our house is going to become a lot quieter!
As parents, this is what we are meant to do. We are meant to raise our children and send them
out into the world to find their way and figure out who they are meant to be. But it doesn’t
mean that it won’t be hard. I’ve been poking at Evelyn a little bit, teasing her and giving her a
hard time, like dads do. Evelyn keeps saying to me, “Your going to miss me when I’m at
college.” I tell her that my job right now is to be extra annoying to help ease her transition into
college; to help her not miss home as much. But when we drop her off at college and get her
settled into her dorm, I will be remembering the above verse from Psalm 121. I know that she
has big things ahead of her and the Lord will watch over her on her journey.
In mid-September, I will be taking a group to Holden Village. I will “lift my eyes” to those familiar
mountains and I will breathe in the solitude that comes from being in the Village. I will rejoice
that my phone won’t work; knowing that we have plenty of family and friends watching out for
our new college student, caring for our foster child, and allowing Sarah and I some time to
enjoy the place where we first met. I also get to introduce the village to a few people that have
never been there, which is one of my favorite things to do. And, I guarantee that they will be
tired of my stories by the time we get back to Eugene.
This trip has almost not happened at all but I am thankful that we can go. We will be gone over
two Sundays, which I would have rather avoided but because of staffing and transition in the
village, this was the time that worked. When we get back, we will have stories to tell. I’m sure
Evelyn will have stories to tell about her first couple of weeks of college. We have been getting
phone calls and questions from Isaac as he learns all you need to learn living by yourself. In the
midst of all of this, I know that the Lord will be watching over our going out and our coming in,
from this time forth and forever more.
God’s Peace,
Pastor Steve