I cling to Your testimonies, O Lord; let me not be put to shame! Psalms 119:31

Born in Switzerland in the first decade of the 20th century, George de Mestral was an engineer who had been given a curiosity, which was almost insatiable.

Whenever he could, De Mestral loved to escape the confines of his laboratory and take long walks with his dog. After one such excursion, both the dog and de Mestral returned home covered in burrs. Wishing to see how these troublesome hitchhikers managed to latch on so securely, De Mestral took one of the burrs and put it under his microscope. He was amazed to see the burrs were covered with small hooks which caught and clung to both fur and clothing.

In a flash de Mestral found himself transformed from scientist and engineer to inventor.

"Why not," he reasoned to himself, "invent a fastening system composed of two parts: loops on one part and hooks on the other?"

It took some time, but by 1955 Velcro had been perfected and the burr-inspired fastening system changed the world and the way little children -- who don't know how to tie a bow -- put on their shoes.

It is all a matter of serendipity. De Mestral went looking at the attributes of an inconvenient burr, and the Lord gave him an invention worth, well, I don't know what it's worth, but I'm pretty sure it's worth a lot.

You know, countless generations have had to deal with the nuisance of burrs. None of them ever thought, Gee, being clingy is a good thing.

Apparently, it is.

Clingy is good when it comes to Velcro, and it's good when it comes to our relationship with the Lord.

As I read through Scripture, I see God regularly telling His people to "hold fast" and "lean on" Him. Great rewards are promised to those who are faithful until death, and many blessings come to those who will not be separated from the Lord's love or their Savior.

Clingy is a good thing when it comes to our relationship to Him ... His will ... His commandments ... His testimonies ... His Son and our Savior.

David understood this type of clinginess God's people should have with the Redeemer, who gave His life so they might have life. Because He understood is why He wrote and we join Him in saying, "He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God" (Psalms 62:6-7).

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, grant me the wisdom and depth of faith to understand why clinging to You is a good, right and beneficial thing. More than understanding, help me actually always cling to the Christ whose life was sacrificed, so I might have salvation. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Today's Bible Readings: 1 Chronicles 4-6    1 Corinthians 7:1-19

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