Into My Arms

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

1997

We got up in two phases this morning.

Shepherd first, going to school.

Greta and Goldie next, going nowhere thankfully.

As it all started up, changing a diaper (Goldie) and getting a banana (Greta), I think I just got lucky and caught a sense of its beauty.

And then this song by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds came to mind. It’s probably the most expressive song I’ve found to come close to representing the experience of being a parent: Go but be safe and come back to me, become but remember who you are, believe but don’t let it crush you.

The tension is that all of these ‘buts’ are futile. There are no guardrails. You must go and be and do and be full of hope in God and His image in you.

As a parent, it’s beautiful and painful, at the same time, knowing that you’ll go from crawling, to walking, to heartbreak, to seeing all of yourself in the world and leave home to do it.

Who knows why and when a song comes to you, but I can only assume it’s the Spirit of God moving in my own heart to help me see each of you fully this morning. I’m grateful for that.

I don’t believe in an interventionist God
But I know, darling, that you do
But if I did I would kneel down and ask Him
Not to intervene when it came to you
Not to touch a hair on your head
To leave you as you are
And if He felt He had to direct you
Then direct you into my arms

Into my arms, O Lord
Into my arms, O Lord
Into my arms, O Lord
Into my arms

And I don’t believe in the existence of angels
But looking at you I wonder if that’s true
But if I did I would summon them together
And ask them to watch over you
To each burn a candle for you
To make bright and clear your path
And to walk, like Christ, in grace and love
And guide you into my arms

Into my arms, O Lord
Into my arms, O Lord
Into my arms, O Lord
Into my arms

But I believe in Love
And I know that you do too
And I believe in some kind of path
That we can walk down, me and you
So keep your candles burning
And make her journey bright and pure
That she will keep returning
Always and evermore

Into my arms, O Lord
Into my arms, O Lord
Into my arms, O Lord
Into my arms