My Life Today

He Carries Me On His Shoulders

Often in the most unexpected places Jesus whispers to me tokens of his love. The other day I was listening to a christian radio program as I drove into the parking lot where I work. I sat there for a moment after I had turned off the engine and in the stillness meditated upon the message I had been listening to.

As I sat there in my vehicle an old, red, battered up pickup truck pulled up beside me. I didn't think much about it until I saw who was in the truck. No, it was not anyone that I knew. I had never seen this man before and perhaps I will never see him again. But this very brief encounter brought to me another token of God's love for me.

He was a tall, strong, young man. He was probably over six feet tall and was muscular - perhaps a construction worker or a farmer. His frame hinted at many hours of hard physical labor. Wearing jeans with suspenders and a flannel shirt he walked around the front of his truck to the passengers door beside me and gently opened the door. His strong hands lifted up his sleeping, baby boy and gently placed him on his right shoulder, his strong hinds firmly supporting his priceless treasure. Without a blink, the infant continued sleeping, resting in safety on his fathers' shoulder.

As this young man began to walk away from me I watched the look on this small childs face. Although he was sleeping, there was a peaceful look of contentment beaming from his countenance. The fathers hands were holding his child while the infant's hands clung to the shoulder of his father. It was at that very split second when my eyes met the face of that infant that my Heavenly Father spoke these words to me in tokens of love. "Michael, can you see it? Can you see that I will carry you upon my shoulders? Can you see that I am your Heavenly Father and that you are my child? Do you know what this means to you?"

My encounter with this young man was only for an instant. He probably didn't even notice me, yet he had a tremendous impact upon me. Such is often the case in our christian lives. We simply go about doing the things that we need to do and do not often realize the positive impact that we have on others. In this brief encounter the Holy Spirit spoke directly to my heart in a profound way and reminded me that as I place my trust in my Father in Heaven, He will carry me upon His strong shoulders. As I place my complete trust in Him, I have nothing to fear, for He will bear me across many difficult waters in life. Just perhaps this is what Jesus was referring to when he spoke those incredibly meaningful words to his disciples, "Unless you become like a little child, you will in no case enter the kingdom of heaven." Thank-you Lord for another token of your great love for me. Make me an instrument in your hands.