The LORD will protect you from all harm;
he will protect your life. The LORD will protect you in all you do,
now and forevermore.
(Psalms 121:7, 8)
At his orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico, a big-eyed boy glided a shard of broken mirror through the air, complete with sound effects. A wedge of glass isn’t a safe plaything, and I considered taking the fragment away. But I couldn’t confiscate his toy without deflating an entire universe of souls desperate for rescue by the heroic Shard of Mirror.
I also live in a make-believe world. In my fantasy, I take up a shard of life’s brokenness and pretend it protects me. I’m so busy playing with fragments of human acceptance and pieces of financial security, that I don’t notice demons are handing them to me.
We all have our shards—those consolations we imagine will complete us. Mine make perfect sense to me. It’s yours that seem make believe.
“Wake up,” Jesus says. “You don’t need your invented remedies. You have me.”
He’s right. Because I said yes to his love, I have him and he has me. He is in me and around me 24/7, 365 days a year. My spirit thrives under his protection.
At the end of our week of construction at the orphanage, we gave real toys to the children. The broken mirror was replaced by a safe gift. The orphan boy happily traded in his shard.
Now it’s my turn to exchange my fragments for the real protection offered only in Jesus.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I trust in your care over my life.