Stalactites and Stalagmites

I love mnemonic devices, those “gimmicks” that help us remember things. In fourth grade, my class went on a field trip to a cave. I was fascinated by the stalactites and stalagmites but kept getting them mixed up. That is, until I came up with this: stalactites reach down to hold things tight, while stalagmites reach up with all their might. Kind of like God and us, don’t you think?

In Psalm 18, David recounts how God reached down to rescue him from his enemies. God, our Father, has done the same for us. He sent his Son, Jesus, down to earth to rescue us from sin and eternal death. Like David, we too can reach up with all our might, failing often and forgiven always.