A Cup of Ice

Recently, I observed a child of about three years of age walking along a beach with his grandmother. The day was glorious, the water cool enough to be refreshing and the humidity was still low. And there they were, slowly meandering along among the shells discovering little treasures as their journey down the beach progressed slowly. Each little wave brought squeals of delight while each perfectly selected shell caused his little eyes to shine. Grandma was in no hurry as she patiently and lovingly held this little boy’s hand. The goal was not to get far down the beach but to live in each moment with her grandson. All was going along smoothly for this pair until she let go of his hand and gave him her cup so he could take a drink. That’s when she lost him. With the cup halfway to his mouth his eyes saw the treasure of the day. ICE! Yes, ice, half-melted little pieces of nirvana floating around in water. At this moment the world around him ceased to exist. His little hand shot, as fast as it could, into the cup as it pulled out the prize and plopped it into his mouth. Water ran down his chin and dripped from his elbow as he repeated the procedure again and again. Grandma took a few steps, called him and he didn’t notice. Again, she took a few steps, called him and instead of joining her he continued reveling in his treat. Seeing he was not going with her, she walked back, and mess and all, scooped him up, kissing his little cheek while she was laughing. I absolutely could not take my eyes off the scene in front of me. Then it hit me why. This is exactly the way God desires to live with us. He wants to hold our hand as He guides us away from the big waves while allowing us to play in the little ones. He longs to show us little treasures along our path together. Other times He simply delights in observing us discover them for ourselves. When we need refreshing He has the perfect cup of water for us (see John 4:10). Unfortunately, we sometimes run ahead of Him, lag behind or take our own path completely happening upon a cup of something we have no business drinking. We do not necessarily even realize we’re doing heading in a direction without God. Each day there are many things, good things, demanding our time and attention. The times we live in right now are unsettling, to say the least. Worry has a tendency to creep in. Doubt can take over. Faith can fall through the cracks of our paths. However, Jesus tells us in Luke 18:17 (AMP): “Truly I say to you, whoever does not accept and receive and welcome the Kingdom of God like a child does shall not in any way enter it at all.” The New Living Translation reads: “I assure you, anyone who doesn’t have their kind of faith will never get into the Kingdom of God.” What a simple solution to being in step with God daily, just having faith like a child. Let’s make a conscience decision each morning to look up at our Daddy with the wide-eyed joy of a child, choosing to trust Him in all He says and does, being faithful to get into His Word each day so we can discover the treasure He has waiting for each of us.