Safe in His Grip

“Father, you are holding my hand too tight, it hurts” the boy said. So the father loosened his grip just a bit.They continued to walk in silence. After a while the boy asked his father, “could I just walk beside you?” His father replied, “No, it’s too dangerous.”

“I promise I will stay right with you. I am a big boy now and I really shouldn’t have to hold my fathers hand.” the boy said confidently, but not in a way to show disrespect. The father looked at his son with a sad tenderness as he agreed to let go.

They continued on their way.

The boy did well staying beside his father, but after a while he began to notice all the people around him. He wondered where they were all going in such a hurry. He had been to the big city with his father many times, but never really noticed all the excitement it had to offer. Soon the boy realized he had fallen behind his father, so he ran to catch up.

As they walked side by side the boy began to take notice of the store windows and street vendors. There were so many people going in so many directions. Pretty soon he realized that he couldn’t see his father. He ran ahead and just as he caught a glimpse of the back of his fathers head the crowd began to push him further away.

He could no longer see his father.The boy shouted, but the noise of the city drowned out his cry. He began to push his way toward his father but the harder he tried it seemed the crowd pushed against him. Fear began to rise up in him as he realized that he might be lost forever. His vision blurred as tears began to fall down his face. As he tried running faster through the crowd he lost his balance and fell to the hard concrete.

The boy was now weeping in great sobs for his father. With all his might he tried to call out again to him, but before he could even get a sound out his father was there picking him up. With tears flowing down his cheeks the boy spoke with a trembling voice, “I was afraid I had lost you!” The father looked into the eyes of his son with such love and said, “My son, I never left you. I was always aware of where you were.” The boy then looked at his father and asked, “may I hold your hand again, I feel safer when we hold hands.”  He put him down and held his hand firmly. The boy looked up into his fathers face as he held on with a firm grip of his own.

The boy realized that it was in the grip of his fathers hand that there was safety. No matter how mature he felt, or how strong he might grow he felt that he would always want to security of his fathers hand around his own. The father gave his son a knowing smile as they continued their journey.

Father, help me realize that the safest place I can be is within your grip. I am not safe just walking beside You, for the world so often begins to come between us and we become separated. I must allow you, Father, to hold me firmly in Your grip as I hold your hand.