“Casting all your anxiety upon Him: because He careth for you.”—1 Peter, 5:7, R.V.
THERE was a cloud over little Mary’s usually bright face, as she took her seat near her father at breakfast. The truth was, she had a care upon her—a child’s care it was, but none the less, for a small child of five years old, a burden. She did not cry: it was not quite heavy enough for that: but she was not her usual joyful little self.
As it happened, her father was much disturbed by some letters he had received. Anxiety and care were upon him, and a real heavy burden it was, such an one as most men would feel severely.
But then he was a strong man, and we expect strong men to be able to lift and bear heavy weights.
After an hour or two, the father took his little girl for a stroll by the seashore. The man and the child walked rather seriously towards the sparkling waves before which little Mary loved to dance. However, her burden prevented her wonted merriment, and she sat down. Her father, to amuse her, began to throw little stones into the sea, and bade her watch, that however many he might cast in, all were covered up, and lost to sight. Presently the child picked up one herself, and running towards the water, gave a round swing, as is the way of little girls, and splash fell the stone into the sea. “Gone,” she chuckled. The exercise soon cheered her up, and in a short while she was laughing and throwing in her little stones one after another, and watching them fall into the water, to be seen no more.
“Father,” she cried, “you throw now!” And a long way sped his stone, to the little girl’s delight, as she cried, “Now again!”
“Father, you are a very big man; you should throw a very big stone,” she said.
“Let us find one,” he answered, and after looking about, a heavy piece of rock was found. This Mary tried to lift, but in vain; then she tried to move it ever so little, yet still without success. “Throw that in, father, if you can,” she said, with an inquisitive air.
As the strong man lifted up the heavy piece of rock, little Mary’s admiration was very great: but when he slipped just as he was in the act of casting it into the sea, and it fell heavily at his feet, childlike she clapped her hands and archly said, “Father, you are not strong enough, are you, to throw it away?”
“I slipped, dear: I will try again,” he smiled. Then the big stone went slowly out of his arms “splash” into the sea, and the child sang out, “Gone, you are gone, Master Stone.”
A little stone for a little child, a big stone for a strong man: a small care for a child, a heavy care for a man Is it not so? Does not God so appoint “Our trials grow heavier as we grow older,” we say, and so it is. But the great stone and the small one alike are not found when they are cast into the sea. The little or the great care is no more when it is cast upon our God.
“Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you” (1 Pet. 5:77Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. (1 Peter 5:7)). Yes, casting it upon God. At times we lift up the heavy care, yet slip when trying to cast it upon God: then it is not gone. It is still our own. We must it get to God: we must thrust it from our own selves upon Him.
“Oh God!” we will pray, “strengthen me so that I may be able to throw away from my own bosom my care, my burden: strengthen me so that I may cast it upon Thee, for Thou carest for me.”
H. F. W.