Water Parks And God

Dear Friends,

Shortly after our twins were born, my wife and I decided to take all four of our kids to a local water park. I’m not sure what we were thinking, as there really is nothing fun about taking a 6 year old, a 4 year old, and newborn twins to an over-crowded place on a hot day. But there we were.

We actually ended up having a fun time, until we made the decision to choose a final ride and then head home. We went to gather the kids around, and realized our four-year-old son was gone. In the midst of all the chaos, he had slipped away from us into the crowd.

If you're not a parent, you really can't fully understand the level of fear and panic that overtakes you when you discover one of your children has disappeared into a large crowd. All sorts of scenarios run through your mind as every story you've ever heard about child abduction springs into your mind. The end result is a burst of adrenaline as you go in to overdrive in an effort to find your child. And it all happens because of one simple fact: you protect who you love.

The good news is that, just as we started to mobilize in an effort to lock down the park, a security guard came walking up holding our son’s hand. He was perfectly safe, perfectly happy, and eating a popsicle the guard had given him. It turns out, all that talking we had done about going to a policeman if you ever get lost had actually been heard, and when our son realized he wasn’t with us, he had gone directly to this guard and told him that his “parents were lost”. We were beyond relieved.

The reason I bring this story up is because last night I had dream about that day in the park. I’m not sure why that story suddenly emerged during the night, but I remembered it vividly when I woke up. That's why, this morning I found myself thinking about the truth that we will all do just about anything to protect who we love. We just can't forget them. As I pondered that, the Lord really impressed upon me that the same is true for Him. He will never forget or abandon who He loves.

Writing to New Testament believers, Jude makes this point clear as he begins his letter with this statement: “To all who are called to live in the love of God the Father and the care of Jesus Christ.” In the original language it would read more like: “You are continually kept by Jesus Christ.” The terms Jude used describes an active, continuing result of something that's already happened. In other words, because of what Christ did on the cross, believers are actively being kept in the care of our Heavenly Father. So whatever difficulties or challenges we may be facing today, we need to know that we are actively being kept in Christ. He will protect us, preserve us, and keep us.

However, in verse 21 of that same letter Jude also tells us that we need to make sure we stay under the protective cover of God's love. In other words, we must consciously and intentionally do things on a daily basis that will keep us in a place where God can actively bless us, work in us, and work through us. Which means there are things we need to stop doing that take us away from God, and that drag us down spiritually.

Friends, God loves us, He won't ever forget us, and He has given the greatest imaginable sacrifice for us. So today, let's remember those truths. Then, let's allow those truths to motivate us to do our part - to seek Him, while we keep away from things that will put us into harm's way.

Amen?

Daniel