Dwell

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 

He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

Psalm 91:1 & 4

To dwell means to live, reside, stay as a permanent resident, stay in a given condition, to linger over, ponder, be motionless (just a few definitions you can find in a dictionary).  It sort of indicates a place that you spend a lot of time, I think. 

For me, this is an answer, an answer to the question of "How do I do this?"  How do I be a good mother?  How do I teach my children to love and honor God?  How do I become the woman I need to be, the woman God created me to be?  How do I defend against the barrage of failures that parade before my mind's eye whenever I take stock of how I am doing?  How? 

This is how.  By dwelling in the secret place of the Most High.  What does that mean?  How is that done?  How can it be done in the midst of dishes, and laundry, and diapers, and snotty noses, and obligations, friends, responsibilities?  Most moms will have a hard time sitting around "dwelling in the secret place".  Except I don't think it means you have to sit around at all.  I think it means that no matter what you are doing, your heart is doing something else: dwelling on God.  Thinking about Him.  Thanking Him.  Praising Him.  And when we do that, we find that His presence is with us in a very real way, that we are 'abiding under His shadow".  When we find ourselves discouraged, depressed, denied, and we feel like it's a losing battle, He covers us with His feathers, and we find rest and safety under His wings. 

The last part says "His truth shall be your shield and buckler."  Not my truth.  Not anyone else's truth.  His truth.  So even though I may believe the truth to be that I have failed, am failing and will fail, His truth is that I am more than a conquerer.  His truth is that He loved me enough to die for me.  His truth is that I am forgiven, alive, and free.  I am accepted.  His truth says I am redeemed.  And His truth is the only truth that matters.