I Know He's There

A few strands of her brown hair swayed back-and-forth as the wind blew, and Megan sat snug in her puffy white pamper, wading her hands through the sand. Her little legs looked like tiny pillows at the touch as they kicked every time she smiled. Megan seemed happy sitting in the sand; her tiny hands leaving prints and swirls in the space all around her. Every so often, I wondered what she thought when she lifted her head to stare at the ocean. For some reason, the waves crashing against the shore caught her attention a lot faster than the cute, bronze-haired little puppy with the pink collar, running aimlessly in front of her. She often looked back and smiled at whatever, but it was clear that her attention was focused on the sand.

"Ah, there you are, sweetheart!"

Megan kicked, giggled and grasped the sand with her tiny hands as her mom crawled toward her.

"Don't put the sand in your mouth," mom said as Megan began her routine of lifting her left thumb to her mouth. But when mom said ,"no," she started kicking and smiling but this time, funny faces followed. Her mom picked her up and walked toward the ocean. Megan kicked and screamed at first, reaching for the sand, but her sporadic tantrum ended quickly when she realized her mom was carrying her to the water.

I smiled as I watched her mom lift and partially submerge Megan's tiny body in and out of the water. So much joy radiated from her small, round, little face that it probably made others around wish they were playing in the water, too. After about ten minutes of playing at the water's edge, Megan was back on the beach, wading in the sand...

I smiled, plugged in my iPod, sunk deep into my beach chair and purposed to took a brief nap. When I awakened, a nice, golden dust color appeared above the horizon as the sun started to set behind the ocean. This day was moreorless picture-perfect as a full moon shined above. Megan was fast asleep in her mother's lap.

As I began packing away my books, beach chair and towel, I began thinking about the love of our heavenly Father. It made me smile to know that He precedes me and follows me. He knows my every move and He's strategic about my life. I enjoy being alone with Him because there's nothing else competing for my attention. And when he speaks, I may not always like it, but I know His words are life and are for my good. I'm His child and He is familiar with the intricate details of my life. He's even there to say, "Terri, don't put the sand in your mouth!" - like Megan's mom. He's my authority and Shepard. He carries my burdens and concerns. All-in-all, I know He's there.