Heads and Hair

Have you ever lay in bed at night with the names of those you love running through your mind like a herd of elephants? 

Saturday we spent the day at a party celebrating my only living uncle's retirement.  We had a lot of fun and I got to speak with cousins I hadn't seen in years.  That night I lay in bed wide awake with their names running through my mind.  I started trying to name all twenty five of my cousins.  I made it through twenty four.  One name kept me awake until the wee hours of the morning.  I knew it was a male.  I knew he was older than me, but not by much.  I even knew which cousins he was born between, but his name eluded me.  I finally dozed off to wake two hours later with his name flashing in front of my eyes, or so it seemed.  Now I was awake for good.  Silly, right?  Why in the world would you lay awake because you couldn't remember one name?  This morning as I was praying it hit me that Father God never forgets even one name.  He has received millions of children over the years and yet never forgets one detail about them. 

Yesterday I had six of my seven grandchildren here with me throughout the day.  I was blessed to hear a conversation between two of them.  I had been combing two of the girls' hair and had them throw away the hairs that came out while so doing.  Our eight year old granddaughter turned to our eight year old grandson, who is also her best friend and said, "Did you know God knows the exact number of hairs we have on our heads?"  His reply was a simple yes with an implied "Of course."  She then said, "Even when we pull out a handful, He still knows exactly how many are left!"  She was correct!
Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Luke 12:7 (NIV)

How fortunate are the children of almighty God.  He has millions, yet reacts to each as if they were His only child.  I saw this reflected in my son yesterday.  When one daughter's tooth slammed into the head of his son, he grabbed both, one in each arm and clung to them.  In so doing he got blood all over his hand and face, but took no notice of anything but his children's welfare.  He guided one to the bathroom and one to the kitchen where I started washing the blood from his hair.  My son waited just a moment to make sure it was nothing major, then took huge strides to his daughter.  When he was certain she was okay, he came back to his son.  There was just a small scrape, but it bled profusely, as all head wounds do.  His anguish abated, he said, "I know what will make us all feel better!"  All three children looked in his eyes as he proclaimed, "Let's go get some ice cream!  But I'd better wash the blood off my face first."  This made everyone relax and smile, even chuckle again.

Father God, thank You that You never forget us, not even a single detail about us.  You know our coming in and our going out.  You know when we laugh and when we cry and You laugh and cry with us.  You hold us when we are hurt, sick or simply weary.  You mend our every wound.  When we feel lost and alone, You are there holding us by the hand to lead us back to where we need to be in order to see the light to guide us.  You are a hiding place when we feel insecure; a shelter in the midst of storms.  No matter how many children You ever have, You always react to us as if we were the only one.  Thank You for loving us so deeply.