God’s Chest
Warrior Moms, there have been a couple of times in my life, four to count, during which I laid my head on my husband’s chest, wishing I could stay there forever. The first time was when I was 18-years-old, a brand new airman in the United States Air Force – assigned to my first military base, McCord. Brian was stationed 7 miles down the road at Fort Lewis, Washington. I remember driving there and laying my head on his chest. His chest is such a safe, wonderful place; I wanted to stay there forever and never have to deal with the fear I felt regarding reporting to my new job, being a full-time soldier.
The second and third time was when my 10-month-old son, Jacob, was diagnosed as profoundly deaf, and then again when Jacob was 5 and eye specialists told us he’d be blind by the time he turned 10. Recently, I have struggled with some new fears and demands placed on me, seemingly more than I can stand. As I laid my head on my husband’s chest (we’ve now been married 17 years), I secretly wished I could lay my head on his chest, disappear, dissolving into the security and warmth that I felt there. The reality of life forces my alarm to go off, however, and I know my feet must hit the ground. I’ve been out of the military for 14 years, but I know that I am still a full-time soldier – in God’s Army. I am a Warrior Mom now.
As I have gotten older, my faith has grown. I have learned to give my fears to God. As a result, I had a conversation with God about all this. I said, “God, I know that you are my Heavenly Father. I know that even though my husband is wonderful, and I love laying my head on his chest during difficult times, this physical world demands that I get up and face the day, alone – without bringing my husband and the security of his chest with me throughout the day. I know, however, that when I lay my head on Your chest, You have the power to give me a warm, strong, peace, a steadfast spirit, and a conquering mind, and I know that You do go with me wherever I go. I can disappear, figuratively speaking, into the strength of Your chest, sensing Your comfort all day long. You are my Dad – who is able to hug me forever, hold me up, and give me wings to fly during storms.”
Let me tell you how cool God is. He speaks in many ways, but he is always speaking. A good Christian friend of mine sent me the first picture above out of the blue last night. She knew nothing about my recent conversation with God. My good Jewish friend, whom I had told I was going to write a Warrior Mom devotional about laying my head on God’s chest, sent me the 2nd picture. I was planning on writing this devotional this morning regardless of whether I received encouragement from God (through pictures from friends) to do so or not, but God orchestrated it such that I would wake up to 2 pictures in my in-box that illustrated the image I hoped my words would create. I share this with you to encourage you. I want to remind you that whether you have a sister, a mother, a best friend, a boyfriend, a husband, or if you currently have none of the above, remember that God sometimes puts people in our lives to support and encourage us as they lend us their shoulder or chest to rest upon for a moment. He wants to remind you, however, that regardless of what comfort we may temporarily have in this physical world, He is always there, waiting for you to lay your head on His chest and dissolve into His warmth and strength.
I have been calling God “Dad” ever since I was 14-years-old. My earthly father, whom I never knew, died that year of a heart attack. I was unsaved, living in an abusive, alcoholic environment. For 14 years, I secretly wished my earthly dad would show up and save me. He never did, and then he died. Then, someone told me that I had a Heavenly Father. I was flabbergasted that even though I had never had an earthly father, I had a Heavenly Father who loved me and who wanted to save me from all of my fears and equip me with His Word. Today I was reminded that even though I write words, hoping to illustrate a message, desiring to encourage hearts, I hear God’s heart, constantly abounding in love for me. He’ll never have a heart attack and leave me abandoned. He’ll never let me down, and He constantly holds me up because I continually lay my head on His chest.
“As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you.”
Isaiah 66:13
A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows…
Psalm 68:5
For your maker is your husband.
Isaiah 54:5
Warrior Moms Unite!™
Kristina Seymour loves to encourage and equip women through the Word and through community. She is the author of The Warrior Mom Handbook, The Warrior Mom Leadership Manual, and The Warrior Wife Handbook; they are available at Amazon.com. Kristina’s Bible studies are for women who desire to live by faith in the midst of their everyday lives. She has learned that women can’t survive on caffeine and animal crackers alone; women in the Word and in community are united and able to stand firm. To learn more about Kristina, please visit her website, https://kristinaseymour.com/. God loves to share His story of love and grace through us all, and Kristina believes that everyone has a story to tell.
Kristina Seymour loves to encourage and equip women through the Word and through community. She is the author of The Warrior Mom Handbook, The Warrior Mom Leadership Manual, and The Warrior Wife Handbook; they are available at Amazon.com. Kristina’s Bible studies are for women who desire to live by faith in the midst of their everyday lives. She has learned that women can’t survive on caffeine and animal crackers alone; women in the Word and in community are united and able to stand firm. To learn more about Kristina, please visit her website, https://kristinaseymour.com/. God loves to share His story of love and grace through us all, and Kristina believes that everyone has a story to tell.
