Mike's been joking lately about how Manly is my moon. He "orbits" around me constantly, never leaving me far behind. If he does venture away for some exploration, which he enjoys, it's not very long before he comes moving at an unsteady toddling-run with his arms wide open to give me a hug and a pat. Personally, I love it. He's the world's most perfect "family baby", and I love my little "moon".
But then I stopped to think a bit harder and further on what his being my "moon" meant. That means, if he's my moon, then I'm his Earth. His world. His. World.
Whoa.
I'm his world.
That was a bit more humbling than I expected it to be after four babies coming into our house. I thought I'd gotten used to the level of mama-neediness that comes with being mommy to four. For some reason, though, as I thought about being his world, it knocked the wind from me.
If I'm his world, what happens to him, when I'm not strong? If I'm their world, what happens to them when I fall apart, have an "off" day, am found woefully lacking in some important quality like patience, grace, mercy.....?
Then all of a sudden, the rest of the analogy hit me, too. I am his world, their world, but I'm not the real center. Just like the real moon orbits around the real Earth, the real Earth orbits around the real sun. So, if I'm the earth - if Mama is the Earth, the gravity, the pull, the focus of the babies - then what really needs to ground Mama is the sun. The Son.
If I'm grounded in Him, then the rest of it falls into place. These babies can all orbit me and know that no matter what - no matter what craziness or crankiness or confusion or chaos might occur - that no matter what, their world - our world - is tethered unbreakably, unshakeably, to the Son. And that, that will keep the whole order of the whole system. The order in the chaos is not kept by me. Not by my strength. By His.
