I was walking down the beach about mid-morning, trying to get my exercise in before everything got too hot.  Not many young people were on the beach at that hour; they were still sleeping off the fun from the night before.  Mostly there were other people like me, trying to get their exercise in before the heat became unbearable; some older couples sitting together, watching the waves; and lots of young families.

I remember what it was like when my kids were young.  Kids wake up early at the beach, and their hunger is the first item on the agenda.  Our special beach treat was Krispy Kreme doughnuts.  My job was to go and get them for the kids (and one or two for me).  Then about 8:00 AM, we’d hit the beach.

Kids do not lie out on the beach.  They are on the move.  There are sandcastles to be built, waves to surf, and games to play.  As I walked down the beach, families were camped out with umbrellas, chairs, coolers, and buckets.  Multiple sandcastles were being erected.  And almost every 100 feet, dads were digging ditches.

In my day, all we had was the cheap plastic shovel that came with the cheap plastic bucket you could buy at any dollar store.  But now, dads were upgraded to small trenching tools, or miniature shovels more suitable for dwarves. 

The dads were digging ditches to the water.  Why?  Everyone knows that castles, even sandcastles, must have a moat.  Moats must have water.  Water brought by buckets quickly disappeared into the sand.  A consistent source of water is needed.  I could re-construct the conversation that preceded the digging of the ditches: “Daddy, please dig a ditch to the water to fill the moat.  Please, Daddy?”  It is hard to say “no” to adorable little girls with pigtails, or toddling boys still in pull-ups. 

The dads were digging with determination.  One dad, obviously an engineer by training, had carefully calculated the depth needed for both moat and ditch and was digging a trench with steep sides.  This dad wanted his trench to last.  Another dad simply eyeballed it; his ditch collapsed with every approaching wave.  It didn’t seem to matter to the kids.  They were laughing and digging alongside him.

I passed six or seven dads all engaged in this task.  I’m sure none of them came to the beach to dig ditches.  Being adults, they all knew their hard work would be destroyed by the next high tide.  But there they were, digging ditches for their kids, while their wives sat under the tent, smiling at their husbands, enjoying a rare break.  The things you do for the people you love.

Jesus said, “If you, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in Heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”  Many people picture God as someone who is angry, and ready to lash out in judgment.  God is a judge, the one judge who always makes the right decision.  But Jesus wants to assure us that our Heavenly Father wants to bring good to us, to help us in life.

This is why God first sends Jesus, to take care of our biggest problem – sin.  God wants to forgive your sin (and mine) so we can have a clear and clean relationship with him. 

God then leads us and guides us.  He shows us his way of living is better.  As Andy Stanley puts it, “Following Jesus will make your life better and will make you better at life.”  Think about it.  If you do what Jesus says and forgive those who make your life difficult, you will live a better life.  If you live by Jesus’ teaching that it is better to give than receive, you will find joy in sharing deeper than having more possessions.  If you treat people as people made in God’s image, not objects of lust and desire, you will have deeper, more authentic relationships.  Our Heavenly Father, through Jesus, wants to give you this better life.

Though my children are grown and married, I still want to give them a better life.  I want to do all I can to show them my love.  Yes, secretly I am glad that none of them asked me to dig them a ditch on the beach.  But if they had asked, I would have said “yes,” and grabbed my shovel.

I can imagine our Heavenly Father asking us to open our eyes and see what he has already done for us, to see how he has already blessed us.  He might invite us to imagine what he might do in the future. What he has done for us is better than a ditch that the next tide will wash away.  What he has done for us will last forever.