Family

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“I don't know how it happened. I just turned away for a second…”

How many times have we all, as parents, said that when, in the blink of an eye, one of our little ones gets into mischief, darts away, gets hurt or does something unpredictable.

When my daughter was about 2-1/2 she went “for a walk to find daddy” (who had left for work already)…she went out the front door and down the street (yes in the street) at about 5:45 in the morning. The amazing thing was, she was always a late sleeper, and slept very heavily. She usually slept until 9:30 or 10:00 in the morning. So for whatever reason, on this particular morning she went on an adventure and (thank God!)was escorted back by a very upset neighbor.

My 4 year old son and I were shopping in a local bookstore. He was holding tightly onto the hem of my dress while I looked at a book for him. I turned to put the book back on the shelf, and he was gone. I was frantic! I did not even feel him let go! The manager closed the store and everyone pitched in to look for Mikey. Finally a worker appeared with him. They found him in the back in the break room eating a donut! He was all smiles over his exciting journey, until he saw the strain on my tear-stained face. Not sure who cried harder then.

A friend of mine’s under-2-year-old son went AWOL during a bible study, and a latecomer came in saying “Why is Jonathon on the roof?” – after we all gasped and the color in his mother’s face returned to normal, the rescue team brought him back to safety.

Stories like these are everywhere….and just as much the first time it happens to you as every time thereafter, you realize you are never off duty. Children need our guidance and our supervision from birth until adulthood, and to some degree (though the role changes) even beyond.

Parenting is full time, and frankly without God’s wisdom, the burden of this 24/7 requirement would be daunting. How can we know all the things we need to teach them? How can we keep them safe, keep them well, train them to know right from wrong? How can we make sure they are learning the things they need to know (though I found that I was learning right along with them more often than not). Sometimes at night I would fall into bed in a heap from exhaustion and cry out to God for wisdom for one more day. Lord, help me love your wee ones. Teach me what they need to know. Help me be a good example.

And God will be true to His word. He will never turn away, not even for a second. His eye is on us AND on our children every moment. His wisdom is available and abundantly free flowing. He will never leave us or forsake us. We won’t have to run down the street or climb onto a roof wondering where He has gone. He is right there…just a prayer away.

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