“You will have seen that in some parts of the world a mother still carries her baby in a sling across her chest. This arrangement has the advantage of keeping the baby secure and still while the mother’s hands are free. A mother who carries her child in her arms without the use of a sling is greatly hampered in what she can accomplish—for her arms must be constantly holding her baby, moving it from arm to arm as the other arm grows tired. Hampered in this way, she cannot accomplish any tasks that require both hands, and those that she is able to accomplish one-handed will take twice as long.
“If you are like the baby in the sling, I can accomplish many things in your life. If I must hold you in one arm, the things that I can do for you in any given day are greatly diminished. When you struggle and I must hold you in both hands securely, it is hard for me to accomplish anything at all. Therefore, be still and trusting and at peace within your heart.
“Lay your head against my breast and trust my hands to accomplish all that is necessary for your life. Eventually you will realize that, when you do this, far from feeling restricted by the closeness of our embrace, you are able to go anywhere you please.
“In the midst of activity, creativity, or joy, you will retain that stillness and sweetness within your heart that you have learned from My embrace. For children do not always need to be carried by their mother, either in her arms or in a sling. They grow taller and stronger and more confident and eventually are able to walk on their own.
“At that point there are four hands to do the work of love, Mine and yours. Four hands to midwife the birth of joy. And four hands to join forces when necessary to protect the living soul of the world.”