Kelsey’s Dog

When Shaun asked to see the gift his little sister had just opened, Kelsey turned away. "No," she said. "Mine.""I just want to look at it!" Shaun said."Sorry, kiddo, but it is her gift," said Mom. "I'm sure she'll let you look at it later. Right now, she's in love with that little dog.""It's a dog?" Shaun just wanted to see the small toy his grandparents had given his toddler sister for her birthday. When he got gifts, he held them up for all to see. But his sister had opened her gift and immediately gripped it tightly in her hand.Later that afternoon, Shaun found Kelsey sitting on the couch, watching a cartoon. He sat down beside her and touched her hand. It was still clenched in a fist, the toy she had gotten barely sticking out of it. "Can I see this now?""Mine." Kelsey pulled her hand away from him."But you're watching a show!" Shaun sighed. "I just want to look at it for a minute.""She's really attached to that thing." Mom stepped into the room. "She fell in love with it right away and doesn't want to let it go.""I've never seen her care about a toy so much," Shaun said.Mom sat down next to him. "I'm going to have to pry it away when it's time for her bath," she said. "That might be a struggle." She nudged Shaun's shoulder. "This makes me think of what we read during our devotional time this morning."Shaun didn't remember what they had read. "What do you mean?""Remember what Jesus said about those who trust in Him?" Mom asked. "He said that no one will be able to take us from His hand."Shaun looked to his sister and then his mom. "You think He'd hold on that tight to us if someone tried?"Mom nodded. "I do. And He is much stronger than your baby sister. If He's clenching us in His hand like that, no one is ever going to get a hand on us.""You think He cares about us as much as Kelsey cares about that dog?" Shaun asked.Mom smiled. "Even more. Jesus gave His own life so we could be His, and He will never let us go."– Emily Acker