Hey everyone, I'm Dr. Allison. Today's scripture offers us a wiser way of being human as we step into the day.

Today's reading is Psalm 131. My heart is not proud. Lord, my eyes are not haughty. I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.

But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.

Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore. Let's hear that one more time. I have calmed and

quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother. Like a weaned child is my soul within me.

This isn't a psalm about shrinking yourself. It's not about avoiding responsibility. It's not

about disengaging from the world or pretending life isn't complex. It's about secure attachment.

The image the psalmist gives us is very specific, a weaned child. If you think about it,

a weaned child is still attached to her mother, but no longer

frantic, still dependent, but no longer desperate, still connected, but no longer grasping for

immediate relief. From an attachment perspective, this is what security looks like. A securely

attached child doesn't stop needing their caregiver.

They stop needing to panic about whether care will come.

They have learned over time that presence is reliable.

That's the kind of calm this Psalm is describing. Notice what David does not say.

He doesn't say I calmed my circumstances. He doesn't say I figured everything out. He doesn't say I

eliminated all uncertainty. He says I've calmed and quieted my soul within me. That distinction matters. So many of us

learned early on that staying vigilant was necessary, that we had to stay alert, prepared, or self-sufficient

to remain safe or connected. In attachment language, that's what happens when security feels uncertain. The nervous system stays activated, scanning for threat or disconnection. But this psalm offers a different posture. It describes a soul that has learned how to rest in the presence of safety, in the presence of another,

like a child leaning into someone who is steady, attentive, and near.

From both a psychological and a spiritual perspective, this is how regulation actually develops. It's not through willpower. It's not

through control, but through repeated experiences of being held in reliable presence. That's why this

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