Psalm 133: A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1 Behold, how good and pleasant it is
when brothers dwell in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down on the collar of his robes!
3 It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion!
For there the Lord has commanded the blessing,
life forevermore.
I woke this morning to the voices of my older two children coming through the baby monitor that sits on my night stand. This is usually the sound that wakes me up, unless by some act of Providence they sleep past 6:00 am, in which case it’s my husband’s alarm. Today it was the children. I listened as they exchanged a few lines of the excited sort of conversation children carry on in the mornings when they realize the time for sleep is over and they have an entire day of play ahead of them. Once I was assured that they were happily playing I turned off the baby monitor to get a few more minutes of sleep.
Approximately 20 minutes and one cup of coffee later, I checked in with the baby monitor again, pleasantly surprised to hear my children still getting along with each other. One was pretending to be Batman, the other Joker, there was some sinister cackling, talk of one catching the other, and also plans for a birthday party. I turned the monitor off once more and continued to enjoy my coffee in peace.
A six year old boy and four year old girl don’t always play together nicely, but when they do it always makes me think of Psalm 133: Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers [and sisters] dwell in unity! Now more than ever I am grateful for these moments of sibling harmony. In these days of quarantine when we see a lot each other - and no one else - our patience is thin and our nerves are tender. In these days we when we are confined to our four walls we seem to have more conflict than calm. So when peace and unity prevail it feels like a gift bestowed from Heaven. Indeed, it feels like the morning dew, sweet, refreshing, life-giving. A moment appointed by God, graced with His favor. Not just a polite anointing upon the brow, but a generous outpouring, running down my head, my shoulders, seeping into my garments. I lift my face and open my hands to receive, unperturbed by the mess that this anointing may be incurring. This is not the time for questions, but rather, the time to soak up the blessing with joy and thanksgiving.
How good it truly is, when brothers and sisters dwell in unity.
