The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe (Proverbs 18:10).

There are times when I feel so lonely, so isolated, and so fearful of the world around me that I'm almost debilitated.  I can't eat, I can't sleep, I can't see the full range of colors or taste the full range of flavors.  I'm confronted by my inadequacy in a way that feels not unlike being mugged.  Fortunately, it doesn't happen every day -- or even every week.  But in the course of being a parent, a pastor, a husband, a "grown-up," it happens more than I'd like it to happen.  And the worst thing about it is that I just feel completely alone and abandoned, with no one who can really identify with what I'm going through and provide the safety and protection that I need to get through it.

In recent years, I've revisited a favorite childhood film, "Mary Poppins" (I will say that parenting, for all its difficulties, does allow one the unique pleasures of owning and enjoying old, familiar movies which would otherwise be potentially embarrassing if one's peers were to find such a relic in the personal DVD collection).  As an adult, my perception of "Mary Poppins" has changed dramatically.  I've come to identify with the quirky, stodgy, old "grown-ups" -- and particularly with Mr. Banks (who I always used to view unfavorably).  There's one scene in particular, which completely flew over my head as a child but now hits me in a very powerful way.  It's just after the children have run away from their father's bank and lost themselves in the middle of London.  It's a really bad experience for the children, which frightens them terribly.  But then they meet up with and fall into conversation with Bert, the chimney sweep (an old, familiar friend). As they talk, Bert actually insinuates that he feels sad for the children's father (Mr. Banks, who had been seen as a bit of an anti-hero up to that point in the film's storyline).  The children are bewildered by this sentiment (as I was, when I viewed the film as a child).  But Bert insists: "Look at it this way. You've got your mother to look after you. And Mary Poppins, and Constable Jones and me.  Who looks after your father?  Tell me that.  When something terrible happens, what does he do?  Fends for himself, he does.  Who does he tell about it?  No one!  Don't blab his troubles at home.  He just pushes on at his job, uncomplaining and alone and silent."

When I saw that scene recently, I identified with Mr. Banks' position so strongly that I actually started crying.  That's exactly how I feel in raising a family, in pastoring, in living as an adult!  I'm fending for myself so much of the time.  I don't have anyone with whom I can really talk about the difficult stuff.  I don't want to always blab my troubles at home.  I often feel like my only real choice is to just push on at my job:  uncomplaining and alone and silent.  It can feel like such an impossible scenario...

But wait!  The Proverbs tell me that there is a place to which I can run and be safe.  There is a strong tower which offers defense, counsel, empathy, and support.  Even for grown-ups, like Mr. Banks.  And like me.  The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.  Moses was given the name of the LORD -- which signified the very presence of the LORD -- when he was confronted with an assignment that seemed totally overwhelming and impossible (see Exodus chapter 3)... And guess what?  It actually worked!  When Joshua succeeded Moses in one of the great leadership vacuums in all of biblical history, the LORD offered words of strength and courage and companionship (see Joshua chapter 1)... And guess what?  It actually worked!  For "grown-ups" like us, today, the name of the LORD is every bit the strong tower that it's always been.  We can let the LORD fend for us  We can tell the LORD about our problems, taking our concerns to Him in prayer.  We can find encouragement in the stories from antiquity, demonstrating the strong and serene character of the LORD.  I believe this is one of the most powerful aspects of faith, this ability to get out of the driver's seat on the bus of life and let Someone bigger, better, older, and more experienced take over.  The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.