A Child Lost

Have you ever lost your child in a store or somewhere else? My friend Amy told me once about her son Jake and how he got lost in Barnes & Noble when he was just a toddler. She related how panicked she was, running around yelling his name and probably looking like a crazy mom! But she didn't care how she looked; she just ran and yelled and finally found him. Oh what relief she felt!

I took her story to heart and have probably been a bit over-cautious about my kids when we've gone to the stores. I'm only now beginning to let my 4-year old son walk beside me instead of riding in the cart with his 2-year old sister! I know, I know, that's a little extreme maybe. But he does have high-functioning autism and I know he can get absorbed in something he sees and not pay any attention to where I am or that I'm moving to the next aisle. Or he might think of something he wants to see somewhere else in the store, and off he goes. He's finally getting to the age where he understands to stay near so I'm trying to be more lenient.

I also have great ID tags for Samuel and Olivia, with their names and the phone numbers for both myself and my husband on them. Hey, don't laugh! Seriously, losing one of my kids in a big crowd is such a nightmare scenario that I want to avoid. I love these tags and slap them on a belt loop or clothes tag any time we are in a big crowd like at air shows, museums, the mall, etc. or when Samuel goes on a field trip. If my kid wanders off, I want someone to be able to call me ASAP!

However, a few weeks ago IT finally happened; we lost him in Target. I was shopping with the cart and the two younger kids, and my son went to the bathroom with my husband. I'm not sure what happened but somehow Samuel got done and left and was gone. Just like that. I happened to look up and see my husband fast-walking past the aisle where I was and I could tell from his face and his actions that he was looking for Samuel!

My heart thudded. In that moment, you freeze physically but your mind races. How many exits were there in the store? How many crazy pedophiles looking for an unattended child? Would he go outside and try to find our car? Should I scream and start running around too? I couldn't do that with my other two kids, so I pushed the cart around a few aisles and looked everywhere for a Target employee so I could ask for a Code Adam to be called. I mentally built a complete description of everything Samuel was wearing, from head to toe. And yes, I prayed. Hard and quickly! "Jesus, please let him be OK. Let us find him quickly. Don't let anything happen to him or for anyone evil to touch him."

Those are breath taking, heart stopping, nerve wracking moments, aren't they?

Thankfully, my husband remembered how fascinated Samuel had been with a certain toy they had just been looking at, and he headed to the Toy Department. Sure enough, there was Samuel. Than you, Jesus!

If you've ever had a child run off or disappear in seconds like that, you know exactly how this felt.

So yesterday while I was trying to get things in my home finished up for the night, I put on the "Hero" album by Kirk Franklin. The song "Without You" came on and just really grabbed my attention with its lyrics, especially the line...'like a child that's lost his way'....

It occurred to me once again that we are God's children. How He loves us so much, more than we can imagine. If we as parents get so completely freaked out when we lose sight of our kids, imagine how He must feel when we lose our way. When we don't know Him fully or trust Him completely. When we get caught up in our worries and life's problems and in the confusion of the world. When we feel overburdened by sadness and fear.

Like a parent trying to find our child, imagine Him reaching for us. Trying to guide us, clasp us closely, and wanting to set us on the right path and seeing us reach our full potential. Imagine Him calling your name and holding out His hand, just waiting for you to take it.

I encourage you to take a moment today and remember that He is more than we can imagine. He is reaching for you...yes even you...and for some reason He led you to read this blog at this very moment. If you feel like you've lost your way a little...strayed somehow from the path He has ordained for you...He wants nothing more but to hold you close and help you find your way. Without Him, we can't make it. Without Him, life is meaningless. But WITH Him, everything has meaning and we can live joyously.