Safe Passage; 2013; 11″ x 17″; mixed media: ink, watercolor, pastel.

Life is anything but safe. Its twists and turns leave me breathless, sometimes in wonder and sometimes in shock. “Is all of this going anywhere?” I am prone to ruminate in my weaker moments.

But for all my own wrestling, my heart’s greatest vulnerability lies in watching my children tangle with the dangers of life, particularly my two kids who are adopted. At times, it seems as if they arrived with clipped wings. Wounds of early trauma and neglect impede their flight attempts; at times they can only flounder in the nest.

A few weeks ago, David and I were fortunate to spend some time with friends whose adopted daughter is testing her wings in early adulthood. My friend described her longing for her child’s “safe passage” through many challenges. The phrase ignited my imagination.

If only I could shield my children from the harsh crosswinds, the driving rain, the terror of night. But I am powerless. Perhaps the vulnerabilities of my two adopted children teach me early what is true for all children, even the healthiest child with the most perfect environment in which to flourish – they belong to Jesus and only He can lead them safely home.

I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes from the Chronicles of Narnia series. Lucy asks if Aslan the Lion is quite safe. “Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

In the end, this is my ultimate hope. I believe I will look back on my own quite unsafe flight, as well as the danger-infested journeys of my children, and see the One who is so very good, leading us through uncharted territory, bringing us safely home.