What's The Hold Up?

I tell people who don't have children that motherhood is not for the faint at heart. As our kids get older they move further and further away from our protection. Don't get me wrong this is a good thing. I want Sienna to be fearless, to stand on her own and be self assured. She will only gain these attributes through experience. However, some experiences I feel she can do without.

The other day I let Sienna go to the store with a family friend and some other members of our family. At first when Sienna asked me to go I almost said no because I have a tendency to be over protective. It's not like she was going with strangers. Besides she really needs to learn to go places without me. We do almost everything together. Though I am thankful for our bond I want to be sure she maintains a healthy attachment to me and the separation anxiety that she is prone to feel is kept to a minimum. So I checked with her dad to make sure it was fine with him. He gave the green light and we sent her on her way. Just as they were heading to the car a sense of fear and anxiety came over me. I wanted to run outside and stop them but what reason would I have given? Instead I told them to be safe and prayed. I didn't know what I was feeling in my spirit but it wasn't right and asked that God protect them.

Some time had passed. I just knew they should have been back. They were only going to the corner store. I wasn't worried per se just concerned. I had honestly put my anxiety in God's hands and left it there just as Philippians 4:6 encourages us to do. However, I still wondered what was taking so long.

Just as I finished my thought Sienna comes running through the door. "Guess what happened Mom!" She proceeded to tell me while they were there one of the customers pulled a gun on the clerk over five lousy bucks. I couldn't believe what I was hearing but then again I could. The Holy Spirit let me know that something was amiss before they left. I immediately started praising God once again for His divine protection over them all. The beautiful part is not only did He protect them physically but  emotionally as well.

 It's been a week since the incident. Sienna sleeps just fine, her appetite is unchanged, and she doesn't even talk about it nor is it eating her up inside. It's a distant memory. My child is resilient like her parents and I am grateful for that. You see she understands the power of God in her life. Sienna professes regularly that she has an angel that's with her all the time. She even tells me that I have one too. A few days before the incident in the store I told her I would be too scared to go parasailing. Her response with great conviction was, "Not me because with God on my side I know I will come back alive." Touché.

It's natural to want to protect your kids. Some of us want to put them in a jar labeled "look but do not touch" as if they are rare butterflies. This my friends is an unhealthy approach. My parents did it this way and it didn't stop a thing. If anything it only prolonged the inevitable and I learned many of life's lessons way late. I don't fault my folks. They did their best. Truthfully, we have to trust God with our children. He knows the number of their days anyway. It's a unpleasant thought but it is a reality that we should stay aware of.