Maybe you remember the children's book Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman? It’s one of my favorites! A little bird hatches while his mother is away finding food. Confused and alone, our brave little protagonist tumbles from his nest and begins searching desperately for his mother. "Are you my mother?" He asks every creature (and thing! 🫣) he meets.

I feel you little bird… I feel you!

My anxious heart desperately searches the world asking, "Are you my God? Are you? Or you?" I peer hopefully at Power, thinking perhaps it can protect me. I gaze longingly at Money, wondering if it might provide the security I crave. I bow before Honor, hoping the approval of others will fill the emptiness inside. I chase after Pleasure, praying it might numb my fears.

But none of those things can really be my God. They are all big, ugly Snorts!

Now, thankfully, in the book things turn out okay. The Snort ends up being a friendly steam shovel who lifts our little avian hero back up into his nest and into the loving wings of his mother. But the Snorts in my life aren’t that friendly!

Power, Money, Honor, and Pleasure are fickle masters. They promise safety but always demand "just a little more” before they actually deliver. More work, more follows, more hours, more, more, more—until I'm completely exhausted.

When I’m tired of being dropped by these unreliable Snorts, Jesus reminds me to notice God’s loving wings that have been covering me all along. He taught me to pray: "Our Father, who is in heaven..."

Don’t rush past those familiar words too quickly! He said "Our"— as in “Remember, God is our Father!”— his and mine!

Cyprian, an early church father, marveled at this: "So great is the mercy of the Lord, so abundant his condescension and goodness, that he told us to address the Lord as 'Father!' He considers us his dearly loved children, just as Jesus is his most beloved son." (Adapted from this source).

So when we pray, "Our Father" we’re not just reciting words. We are invited to take a profound leap of faith with our souls—a trust-fall into the loving arms of our Father! We can turn away from all the Snorts of this world for just a moment and rest in God's loving care.

Try it with me. Pause and find a deep breath. Turn your inner attention to the Lord and say with your gut more than with your mouth (but use it too!) “Our Father…”

You and I are like our frightened feathery friend who was reunited with his mother—we belong to God almighty, who loves to gather us under his wings and care for us. We find our true home not in the world's empty promises, but under the sheltering wings of our heavenly Father.