You've Got a Hold on Me

Spring Break. Clearwater Beach, Fl. Blue skies spread overhead and a strong breeze blew the pages of my open novel. Bright sunshine warmed my skin and glinted off white caps kicked up by the wind. The kids played in the sand, building castles, houses, and even scenic vistas complete with wild animals (plastic ones, of course). Jot, recently finished with the pirate and cowboy vs. army men and astronaut war that he’d strategized all afternoon, decided to wash the little guys in the surf.


Corralling them in a yellow plastic sand strainer, he stood in the briny water rinsing the sand from their tiny backs, stopping every so often to scratch where the salt itched his legs. Wading a little farther into the waves, he dipped and strained, dipped and strained, washing the little men.

I closed my eyes, lulled by the warm sun, the breeze, and the fact that my hubby hunted shells a few feet from Jot. Suddenly I jolted awake by a sobbing, frantic Jot, running empty-handed toward my towel. “My guys! I lost my guys! A big wave came and they’re all gone!”

I jumped to my feet, yelled to Justice and Jewel to come help, and raced toward the water. Looking down into the surf, I could see a few yellow cowboys, a blue army man, and several grey astronauts tumbling in the white froth. Peering down the beach, I noticed that every time the waves crashed against the shore, more little plastic men came rolling in. Grabbing the front hem of my sundress, I made a pocket and pushed the little men into its safety. We spread out and made our way down the beach, gathering the poor little fellows who had been so quickly snatched out of Jot’s hand. We ended up finding nearly all of them stretched over a quarter mile strip of oceanfront.

God used the experience to remind me of the truth found in John 10:28, I give them eternal life and they will never die. No one can steal them out of my hand. Even though Jot loves his “little guys”, he can’t protect them. He can’t keep them safe if the surf wants to steal them away. He can’t guard them from the dogs who love to chew their little plastic heads off. He can’t defend them against the lawn mower when they’re forgotten in the grass. But God tells us that when we’ve entered into a relationship with Him, that there is nothing and no one that can steal us out of His hand. He is fully capable of keeping us safe there, no matter the storms that blow, the temptations that come, or the mistakes we make.

It gives me great comfort to know that I don’t have to keep hold of my “little guys” all by myself. If I give them to God, He’ll keep a tight hold on them, no matter what waves may come their way.