The strapping young father hoisted his son to his shoulders where he sat happily, each leg firmly held in one of his father’s strong hands. From this vantage point, the little guy had a breadth of view he could not otherwise have enjoyed.
He was also safe—safe from the blistering hot sand, the onrushing waves, even from occasional sharp shells or broken glass. And he could go indefinitely without getting tired. His short legs wouldn’t have to run to keep up with his dad’s. On those broad shoulders “keeping up” was no problem.
I was watching the pair from our friends’ lovely condominium, and I thought of the aging Moses, who reminded the children of Israel in Deuteronomy 1:31: “The Lord thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son.” God also assures us in Isaiah 46:4: “And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will l carry you; I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.”
Being lifted up and carried so securely is not limited to a little boy on a beach; it also includes those of old age with gray hair.
That strong young father on the beach was a reassuring reminder that there is One who lifts and carries us. That One is our heavenly Father himself.
