*My nephew Gavin’s photo in this encore post from June 2009 is certainly outdated (boy, has he grown!), but the message of the post still rings true. May it be a special blessing to you today!

Look closely. What do you see resting in my nephew Gavin’s hands? No, it’s not a little plastic toy. It’s a real, live lizard—a Missouri lizard that decided to accept Gavin’s friendly overture during our Memorial Day family gathering at Mom and Dad’s. In all honesty, I don’t know if there’s such a thing as a Missouri lizard, but since that’s where we were, it seems like a good name to me!

I came upon this scene exactly as you see it above. I never did hear the story of how this little guy ended up hanging out with Gavin, completely at ease while several of us drew near snapping photos. For whatever reason—whether he was simply content with a warm place to rest, scared to death, or maybe even sick — he decided to trust himself to Gavin’s caring hands.

Gavin certainly rose to the occasion, becoming very careful and attentive. Hands that busied themselves that weekend with everything from playing badminton to playing Wii to putting up bunny ears behind unsuspecting victims quieted themselves long enough to give refuge to another of God’s creatures. And both, I might add, seemed quite pleased with the arrangement.

Does a refuge sound pretty good to you about now? We all need one in our lives each and every day. Sometimes we just need a warm and loving place to rest, while at other times, fear consumes us and finds us desperate for a safe place, a shelter from all harm.

That shelter, that refuge, awaits us in the hands of God. It’s there for all who will accept His loving overtures, to all who will trust themselves to His tender and capable hands. If Gavin, in all his 7-yr. old glory, can provide a safe place for a little lizard, how much more will God, the Creator of the universe and the Lover of our souls, give refuge to all who will trust their lives to Him?

I don’t know about you, but I’m going to trust my mighty God, my heavenly Father. I’m going to rest in Him. I’m sure we’ll both be quite pleased with the arrangement. Join us, won’t you?

“My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.” Psalm 62:1

*My photo