You know you are suffering from "Empty Nest Syndrome" if ...

  • You have thrown out the better part of the last several one-gallon jugs of milk, but still can't bring yourself to buy the one-quart cartons.

  • You called the power company and asked them to check your meter, because the hot-water bill has been way too low.

  • You suddenly realize that you no longer need to include video late fees as part of the monthly budget.

  • You are shocked when you notice you can push the buttons on the car radio and KNOW what station you will get.

  • The bottle of shampoo has been in the shower so long you are starting to think it might be a mystical experience - kind of a loaves-and-fishes thing.

  • They've been gone three years and you still cook enough for your husband to have seconds and thirds ... and fourths.

  • You still walk through the living room in the crouched position with your picking-up hand brushing the floor, even though it encounters no dirty socks.

  • You ask the garage to check why your car is costing so little to run.

  • Your cupboards overflow with uneaten school lunch treats.

  • You still hide your best make-up.

Though our nest may be empty, they are safe in another nest.
As parents, we spend twenty years or so preparing for the day when our babies take their wings and fly away on their own. It's a scary time for both parents and children. Have we prepared them sufficiently? Are they strong enough to fly on their own? We've been responsible for them since the day they were born — to provide for them and protect them. It's hard to let go, and yet we know that we must.

When we experience those feelings, it helps to know that if they are Christians, then they have not completely left the nest. Though our nest may be empty, they are safe in another nest.

For the Lord’s portion is his people ... He shielded him and cared for him [them]; he guarded him [them] as the apple of his eye, like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them aloft (Deuteronomy 32:9-11).

May you, and those you love, find comfort and security in the nest of our Lord.