Resting...

I love this painting and have posted it before. It is called "Rest on the Flight into Egypt" by Luc-Olivier Merson painted in 1879.

If you look closely you see Joseph sleeping on the sand, perhaps he is there as a first line of defense to protect his family. Mary, rather than subjecting the baby to sand, scorpions and insects found on the desert floor, rests peacefully between the feet of the Sphinx. The donkey stands and sleeps as donkeys do.

Here, in the middle of nowhere, under the stars, subjected to the elements rests the Son of God, His mother and father. We know God is watching, we know He has angels at the ready, should they be needed, but the only hint of Divine Protection is the faint light surrounding Jesus and Mary. A "night light" in the desert, if you will.

God does not feel the need to shine a light as bright as a star, He is All Knowing, All Seeing, All Powerful and needs not prove it to anyone. At first glance, He may be hard to detect but He's there, He is always there.