Safe and secure

John 10:27-29 (NIV) 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. If you know me, this probably won’t come as a shock but I lose things. I blame too many to-do’s and not enough time. The fact is that my morning rush includes critical minutes spent in the garage, searching pockets to be sure I have my keys, my debit card, and my cell phone. I used to be one of those people who said importantly, “But I have no desire to always be connected. Who would?” And now my beloved iPhone is like an extension of my arm. I am one of those people who carries it. In my hand. A lot. It’s the world at my fingertips: I don’t have to be alone or lost or bored or stuck for the name of that one movie who starred that one guy and Kevin Bacon. I can totally Google it and let it go. The thought of losing it makes me anxious. I value it. And I know it’s just a thing. It’s only one thing that fills in the blank: I would be lost without (insert whatever your thing is here). And believe me, I know how much more valuable people are to things. I’ve lost some of my people and still reel from the hurt five or ten years later if I think on it too much. The point to this? I value my iPhone. I miss it and I search for it when it’s not secure in my hand. How much more valued are you and I to the one sent to save us at the cost of his own life? How much more careful of us is He than I am with my phone? I’m not sure that my phone feels the love as much as I do. It spends a lot of time in a pocket and has been known to bounce on concrete. Jesus cares for me, so much so that no one and nothing can separate me from him. He sought me and paid a huge price to hold me close. Today is one of those days when I thank God for that love, that high value he place on my life, and for that eternal security. No one can take me from His hand.