You have probably often seen me write that I am from Northern Ireland and if you don't know too much about our lovely "wee" country then here is one great fact:
Northern Ireland has some really great sandy beaches
it's just unfortunate that we do not have the really great sunny weather to go with them.
However when you are very young you don't think so much about the weather you just get excited when you are going to the beach.
I have various memories about playing in the sand but one of my strongest memories was when I was quite young.
Dad was watching me,
but I didn't know he was watching me.
I wasn't looking to see if he was watching me.
I wasn't even thinking about him at all.
That was when it happened.
Other times I had filled my bucket with no problem at all.
Running up and down the beach from mum and dad to the water's edge trying to get enough water to fill up a hole or a moat that dad and I had dug round a little sandcastle.
But this time it just caught me off guard.
The wave was probably not much bigger than the one before but it seemed so much bigger to me as it knocked me over and water filled my eyes and mouth. I was terrified and so shocked I couldn't even try to get up and I think I screamed but I'm not sure.
I have never liked water over my face and still don't let a shower pour over my face or put my face in the water when I swim. Maybe it is a result of that day or maybe I was always like that but certainly that day the water covering my face scared me.
It was not long before my dad grabbed me and lifted me out of the water and carried me up the beach to my mum, although to me it seemed like ages.
Approximately a year before the wave |
I don't remember much more about that day except for the time when I kept pulling away from my mum as she tried to brush my hair after I had been bathed and I didn't want her to do it because of all the tats in my hair.
Having since had a daughter with long hair I know the times when it was a joy to brush it and other times when it was an ordeal to brush it so I can understand that it was not pleasant for me or my mum that evening going through the entanglement of my hair.
The solution my mother decided was to whisk me off to the hairdresser the next day and get it cut
Some months after the wave |
That day at the beach I had no cares just the determination of wanting to get enough water in my bucket each time I ran to the sea. So engrossed in my plan I didn't think about the wave let alone notice it coming towards me.
But my dad did.
My dad saw me run down to the sea.
My dad saw the wave.
My dad saw me get knocked over and came running straight away to rescue me.
My dad was watching out for me, keeping an eye on all that I was doing and where I was going.
He knew exactly what was happening around me while I played happily on the beach, oblivious to everything else.
Probably I didn't even realise that my dad was always doing his job of protecting me, that my parents were always thinking of my well-being; because as a child we just take for granted that we are the centre of the world.
I am thankful that God is my Father and He is even better at watching over me than my dad could ever be.
God sees me wherever I go, whether happily or unhappily.
God sees the waves that come at me before I feel them hit me.
God sees how they affect me and He is immediately there to take care of me.
God is watching out for me, keeping His eye on all that I do and everywhere I go whether physically or in my thoughts or spiritually.
God knows everything that is going on around me when I do not see any of it at all.
And
God sees you wherever you go whether happily or unhappily.
God sees the waves that come at you before you feel them hit you.
God sees how they affect you and He is immediately there to take care of you.
God is watching out for you, keeping His eye on all that you do and everywhere you go whether physically or in your thoughts or spiritually.
God does all this
even when you are not thinking about Him
even when you are not talking to Him about the situation
even when you are not aware of what is going on around you.
God knows everything that is going on around you when you do not see any of it at all.
We do have to play our part but it is a simple part to play
All we have to do is trust Him
When my dad grabbed me out of the wave - I trusted him because he was my dad.
So let God be your Father and trust Him