Friday Devotional - Gently Led

He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.
Isaiah 40:11

I went to a homeschool conference today. I have always loved homeschool conferences and have probably been to about 10 of them over the years. There are classes to inspire and to instruct. There is an exhibit hall crammed from end to end with every type of curriculum that you can imagine. And there are hundreds of homeschoolers.

I was struck by how many babies and pregnant women I saw at this event. Between the pregnant and nursing moms, the whole place must have been awash with unseen hormones. I couldn't help but think about how different my life is from where it was when I attended my first homeschool conference.

I fit right in then. I'm pretty sure I had a baby in a carrier. I was a stay-at-home devoted wife. Homeschooling seemed exciting and all-encompassing. But, now when I go to a homeschool conference I feel a bit like a freak. No more babies. No more husband. And homeschooling has become a very small, albeit important, part of my life. I have so many other things that need my attention now. As a single mom, I am in a very small minority of homeschoolers.

The Bible says that God gently leads those who have young. All those mommies are being gently led by God. But, so am I. I'll be honest. The direction that my life has taken hasn't felt very gentle really, but I believe this scripture. I suspect that my definition of gentle may be a bit different from God's.

The last few years have been hard. But, God has never let my children go hungry. We have always had a roof over our heads and people who love us. And for today, we have all we need and more.