“He will feed His flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in His arms, holding them close to His heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young” (Isaiah 40:11 NLT).
I had the privilege of speaking four times to a group in Chatham, Illinois this past weekend. I usually stick to my notes fairly well, but God brought a story to my mind during one of the sessions and it was useful to bring home some of the truths we had been talking about concerning God being our Father. The story follows…
Brian Lowe is a dear friend of mine. A few years ago, he took his family to the beach. His oldest son, T.J., was just a couple of years old then. As T.J. saw the hugeness of the ocean for the first time, he began making a b-line to the water. He had little floaties on his arms and a vision of making it to the endless blue.
Brian lovingly followed his son to the waves and told him to wait on daddy. Little T.J. continued to run and say, “I do it with myself!” Brian continued to follow and admonish his boy to wait, but T.J. did what most little kids do, he ran on.
Upon reaching the water, T.J. was hit with the first little wave and was knocked over. He got up with determination and went back for more. The next wave came and tumpled him over again. After a few episodes of this getting up and getting knocked down, T.J. looked up at his daddy and said, “Hold you!” Brian picked up his son and they waded into the water together. Brian turned his shoulder to take the brunt of the waves and this father and child went and enjoyed the beautiful ocean together.
I heard Brian share this story one Wednesday night years ago and have shared it myself a few times since. The implication is pretty obvious. We are called to follow God, but we too often run on ahead and do things our own way. We don’t keep in mind that the Christian life is impossible to live in our own strength.
As we get knocked down, we often try harder and harder and are continually disappointed about our failure. The funny thing is that we were never supposed to be able to make it on our own. Our very failure is a good sign that we need something greater than ourselves to live this life.
As we turn to the Father and say, “Hold you!” we can walk each day with the confidence that it is in our weakness that we are strong. The very characteristics of God can be exhibited in our lives as He works in fruit that brings Him glory (John 15).
Are you tired of walking? Are you getting beat up each day? Maybe you have been living in your own strength too long. Maybe you are like I was just a few years ago when I finally discovered that I had been living on my own too long. Maybe you need to hear Jesus say, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light” (Matthew 11:28-30 NLT).
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stealing sermon illustrations eh?