I saw a young boy, about 3 years old, sitting in the sand. He had made a fortress of sandcastles, shaped from those little plastic molds, all lined up around him on each side. He was sitting in the middle of the fort playing with his bulldozers and trucks, and on his head, he sported a sahara type hat, which obviously kept him cool during his work. He looked quite content, being the king of his sandcastle fort. As I passed by on my morning beach run, I paused for a moment, hoping to capture some of that pure joy this boy obviously had. Sometimes I think the very young and the very old know the secret to life, and those of us in the middle are just trying to find our way back. Do children know something we adults have forgotten?
Later the same day, I saw another small child walking down the beach tottering behind a young adult. The adult stopped to ask me if I had seen which direction the child came from. No, I had not, and then they proceeded on to the lifeguard stand. I guessed that the child was lost, and I began to scan the beach for the looks of a frantic mom, knowing that would be the easiest way to spot the parents. A few minutes later, sure enough, I see a young mom sprinting down the beach flapping her arms in all directions. As she got closer to the lifeguard stand, the young child spotted her too, and started running toward her. With arms flung outward, they embraced and hugged. I was glad she didn’t scold him. Then she thanked the Good Samaritan and the Lifeguard, and they sauntered back home. What a reunion – parent and child. Only so much more does our Heavenly Father want that same reunion with His children – arms open, not scolding, only happy to see us.
Thinking on both these things today, the happy boy with his sandcastle fort and the young mom and child, I am reminded of our Heavenly Father’s comforting words from the sea.
If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. Psalm 139:9-10
You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves arise, You still them.
Psalms 89:9
The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!” Matthew 8:27
(photography from my son @ facebook.com/JohnMcCuskerPhotography)
