I have an extra large umbrella, partially because it keeps me drier, but mostly because it is fun to share. It does not happen often, but there are those special times when my wife and I are together while the rain is falling I can bring out the umbrella and we can walk together. It is a pleasure to share my covering with her and together we can enjoy the protection it provides

Covering is important, not only in rainstorms, but in all of life. As Christians, we walk under the covering of God, trusting in His provision and protection. We enjoy the blessing that comes our way as God shares the journey with us, knowing that if we remain close to Him, we will have his support and covering as we walk through the storms of life.

One of the most amazing things is that God entrusts people to demonstrate His covering to others. God puts people in leadership so that they can guide and protect the people entrusted to their care. Teachers are entrusted with the education and development of children, shaping them into the people they are made to be, equipping them to fulfill their destiny, and guarding them against things that could destroy their future. Politically, we understand that our leaders are called to be the stewards and guardians of the nation and its people. Pastors, Superintendents and Bishops are charged with the administrative covering of churches and the spiritual covering of the people of God; guiding and teaching, and offering protection and support through prayer and counsel.

There are many forms of covering, but one of the most precious ways God extends that care and protection is in the form of mothers. All parents are charged with the stewardship of their children. Just as we are to be wise in the use of our resources and care for that which God has entrusted to us, so we are to care for our children with the knowledge that they are actually the children of God placed into our care. However, mothers seem to have an extra special place, an extra special gifting that assists them in this task.

I know that as a father, occasionally my children have said, “We love you daddy, but we need mommy.” They needed the compassion and support that only she could offer, because she could feel their pain and connect to their need. She could nurture and hold them in a way that only a mother could. Children need that nurture. I know I did. Even though I knew my father’s strength and his abilities, I always felt the safest when my mother was right beside me.

I wish I appreciated that more when I was young. All too often I grumbled about what she would not let me do, wishing that she would just understand and let me live my way. I did not understand that she was not restricting me, she was covering me… protecting me… guiding me. I missed that she was fulfilling her God –given responsibility to care for me, but I see it now. Now, I thank God that she was faithful to her calling, and I thank God for the gift of my mom, and the gift of mothers. Without their tender hearts and love for us, our lives would not be the same.

I hope you will join me at this season of the year in thanking God for His precious gift that continues to protect us from being drenched by the storms of life. Thanks mom, for sharing the journey and your covering. I am so much the better for it.