“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them!” Psalm 127:3-5a. Children are indeed a blessing from the Lord. Our privilege as parents is to nurture and shape them. The Psalmist compares a proud parent with a warrior who would have taken the time to turn a knotty stick into a straight shaft. The more arrows in his quiver, the greater his joy. Although unique, each arrow would be special to the warrior. When ready the warrior could release his arrows with the confidence they would fly true and hit their mark. But how does the warrior feel when an arrow is taken from the quiver “prematurely”? What if we never have the opportunity to nurture and shape a child? How do we respond when the fruit of the womb fades before it ever has a chance to flourish?
Brooke Elizabeth was born at just under twenty-four weeks gestation. Her journey was short. She never took a step. She never spoke a word. But her brief life helped to shape us and remind us of life’s most important target. The quiver will never be the same without her, but we rejoice in the fact that she is in the presence of the Lord who gave her to us. Though taken from the quiver so soon, no warrior could have been prouder of an arrow. Brooke’s struggle for survival touched so many hearts and rallied so many prayer “warriors” around the Throne of God. Though the flight was short, no arrow could have flown truer. We invite you to follow Brooke’s Journey and see if our little arrow doesn’t touch and change your heart also.
