His plans are laid for each one of His children
 

Lord, thou preservest man and beast.
Psalm 36:6

It was a glorious day, and my family was gathered at my parents’ house for a visit with my grandparents. My six-year-old son Harrison and my three-year-old niece Abby were playing in a pile of leaves in the front yard. I watched Harrison frolicking, and a dark cloud of worry fell over me. How can I possibly give him everything he needs? Will he survive being shuffled from my house to his mom’s? Is he doing all right?

“Big Dad,” Harrison asked my father, “why are the leaves still sticking to that tree?” All the other trees, except one, had lost their leaves.

“That’s a red oak,” my grandfather interjected. “We used to say that God made red oaks for the squirrels.”

“Why?” Harrison shot back.

“In the autumn the squirrels make their nests from leaves, but when the cold winds come, sometimes parts of their nests blow away. If you watch, you’ll see squirrels coming to the red oak to gather new leaves throughout the winter when all the other leaves have disappeared.”

“Hey, Abby,” Harrison yelled as he ran toward the red oak, “come over here and look at this tree! God made it specially ’cause He loves squirrels so much!”

I looked up at the blue sky and thanked God for this great note of reassurance. If He had planned ahead for the squirrels, then I was confident His plans were laid for Harrison and me and each one of His children. With a great “Whoopee!” I grabbed Harrison and made a dash for the leaf pile.

Father, let me live in the reality of Your love, which reaches out far beyond my knowing.

By Brock Kidd