Man's Best Friend

On Friday evening, April 1, a toddler (not quite two years of age) wandered into a densely wooded area near his South Carolina home. Young Tyler Jacobson was dressed only in a T-shirt and diaper. When his mother and her boyfriend discovered that the child was missing, they called authorities and a frantic search was begun. The search effort continued throughout the night as temperatures dropped to within a few degrees of freezing. It was Saturday morning before a volunteer heard the youngster crying. He was found some 200 yards from a road about a quarter of a mile from his home. Other than a few scrapes, he seems to be doing fine.

How did he survive his ordeal? Apparently, you can thank the family pet! When Tyson was found, the family’s Labrador mix was by his side. It is surmised that the toddler curled up with the dog to keep warm during the long, cold night. “I think the dog wanted to make sure the boy was all right,” said Chief Marvin Brown from the Kershaw County Sheriff’s office. “We found the boy and the dog was right there with him. The dog went missing the same time the boy did” (source: “Dog Credited With Saving Missing S.C. Boy,” Edmund DeMarche, Foxnews.com).

There’s something to be said for a friend (human or animal) who won’t leave your side when you need them most. But it is even more important to have a God Who promises to never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). You see, every so often I wander off, spiritually speaking. It seems like a grand adventure at first, but then the forest closes in around me and, suddenly, I can’t find my way home. Its then, like little Tyson Jacobson, that I cry out for help. What a comfort it is to know that the God who was near in times of safety is also near when I have wandered off. He hears my cry and gently leads me back home.

God loves you!
Mike