Panic Mode 11/19/09

Tonight Jim and I experienced true Parent Panic Mode...one of those moments when the adrenalin was running, emotions were high, and fear and worry were written all over our faces.

Our night started with me leaving work to pick Jake up from school. I got there, and he was excited as usual to see me. I gathered his things, made a pit stop at the potty, and loaded him into the car. I then got a call from Jim saying he was leaving work, and he would meet me at the mall. We had talked about what our plans would be after work, so we had our left-over train tickets from the weekend in our possession ready to enjoy a night together at the mall. We met up around 5:15 and made our way to the food court. We had a great dinner together and then headed straight for the train. Jake went round and round the track for the longest, waving each time, and having great fun the entire ride.

After his train ride was over, we went to do some shopping. Jim decided to try on some pants and made his way to the dressing room. After a minute or two, he poked his head out and asked me if I could find him another size. I, of course, was happy to. Jake, at this point, was out of his stroller and was playing with a small car he brought home from school. When he heard Jim's voice, he immediately started running in the direction he thought it was coming from which was around the corner from where we were. I called for him to come back as I tried maneuvering the stroller to where I needed to look for another size in the pants Jim needed. By the time I got to where I thought Jake was (literally only moments), he had completely disappeared!! The sales lady was right there with me, and she had even been talking to Jake, asking him questions like what his name is, how old he is, etc. She, at first, asked me what size Jim needed and began to go look for the pants he wanted to try on. But when she realized that Jake was officially missing, she was running frantically with me looking for him. Jim then began to yell from the dressing room asking me if I had found him. I told him, "No! He's lost!" He quickly got dressed and came out to help us look. In the mean time, the sales lady called security to help us locate Jake. I decided to go back out into the mall and look near the fountains where he likes to throw money and at the Santa train station to see if he had gone back there. He was no where to be found at either of those places! I literally ran back to the department store we had been in, and when I got back, I saw Jim holding Jake. And can you guess what he had in his hand?...an Alabama football. He had been looking at all the footballs on display, and by golly if he didn't go find one he could reach and play with.

Jim nor I have ever experienced Jake being "lost" before tonight. It was one of the worst feelings I have ever felt in my life. And what was so shocking is that it happened in the blink of an eye!

After we made our way home and I had regained calm, I called Jake's Grandma to tell her what had happened. I asked her to help me find a specific verse in the Bible that talks about how God always knows where we are. As she read it to me, I felt the comfort of God wrap around me like a blanket. Hebrews 4:13 (NIV) says, "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight...". Wow! How amazing is that? Nothing...that means no one or no thing...is hidden from His sight! What a comfort it was to know that the One who created Heaven and Earth knew exactly where my son was...that He was protecting him while we were searching to find him.

One of my favorite chapters in the Bible is Psalm 121 (NIV). It says:

I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?

My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;

the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

Tonight, I am thankful. Thankful that Jake is sleeping soundly in his bed with his favorite blanket in hand, the smell of lotion on his skin, his music playing softly while I type these words. Thankful that tonight, Jake was found, but he really wasn't lost at all. He is never hidden from the One who created him. Oh what tears and joy this brings to me!