More from Joy Margetts

I wonder how this year has been for you? 2025 has been a tough year for us, as we have experienced much loss and grief. God has proved himself faithful to us in so many ways, even though the journey has been hard to walk. There have been blessings and moments of great joy too, including the birth of our third grandchild in June.

We love our small grandchildren—they inspire me so much! God uses them to speak to me about my relationship with him, and I love to write about it!

A wild walk

My eldest grandson and his grandad have a special relationship. They love spending time together, and they especially love walking the dog on the beach. On one particular day the two of them went out to walk, but a fierce storm had just blown through, and the weather was still a bit wild. The tide was high, and the flat sand was hidden so they had to walk on the stony part of the beach. The waves crashed a little higher and noisier than normal, and instead of running ahead, playing with the dog, the little boy held out his hand to be held by his grandad. They came back from their walk glowing and happy, but it had been a little harder. With great excitement my grandson told me all about the walk and showed me the stones he had carried back in his pocket. He had still loved being with his grandad.

Life has its stresses: family demands, work, relationships, finances, health, and loss, not to mention the horror of suffering happening all over our broken world. As I look ahead to this next season, I am hoping that there will be time to heal from our grief and to embrace whatever God has for us next. But my expectation is tempered with uncertainty.

Hold My hand

I worry that the path ahead, especially into new things, might be uncomfortable and disconcerting. That remembrance of my grandson’s scary yet exciting walk with his grandad reminded me of how we can rely on God and enjoy his company, whatever the journey might look like. When we feel unsure and uncertain, when we feel like we might slip and fall because of the uneven stones beneath our feet or feel that the waves are crashing a little too close, God promises to be with us. We can have the same trust as my grandson had in his grandad; we only need to reach out our hand, and our heavenly Father will be right there to hold on to.

I believe this promise is for all those God calls his own. God loves us and is so wise, strong, and good. God knows the path that we will have to walk and will be there with us in it. And we will know blessing and joy along the way, even when it has been difficult, because we have walked it with God. Just like my husband loves being with his grandson, I know that God loves being in our company and sharing our lives with us. God loves holding on to our hand.

Isaiah 43:1-2 (NRSVUE):

Thus says the Lord,he who created you, O Jacob,he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.

Joy blogs regularly (often about her grandchildren), and you can find her devotional blogs here: https://joymargetts.com/blog/. She is also the author of several books, both fiction and non-fiction.