Fear limits

It was late May at the beach. He was two and he had a death grip on me.

I remember that trip vividly. It was two months before I delivered our youngest child into the world. Garrett loved the wet, packed sand near the water. But he would not let his tiny feet touch the coarse, dry sand that covered most of the beach.

Big and pregnant, I carried him on my hip every day the length of sandy shores to the boardwalk that led to our condo. He would not budge, holding on as if his life depended on it.

The scene reminds me of those clip-on koala bear toys. Once he was attached to my hip, he was there to stay.

I don’t know what fear kept him from walking – fear that kept him from truly enjoying the beach – but I waddle-walked him through the loose sand.

Blessings Abound

God has blessings He wants to give us. What father doesn’t want to give his children gifts that will bless them and help them succeed? And we desperately want the blessings he has for us. However, many of us have such a tight grip on earthly treasures, we have no hand left to accept them. God holds out His hand in love, but we miss the blessing.

Do we need to loosen our hold on some of the things in this world? Could it be an object or person, or even a care or worry we can’t seem to let go of?

Remember the Lord is the giver of good gifts. Let’s loosen our hold and live with joy and in the blessings God wants to give us.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17 (ESV)