Traveling
with Children
It is very interesting to travel
with a carload of your grandchildren as they are narrating, commenting, and laughing
about whatever it is they observe along the way.
During this particular
road trip, I was not lost. (I never am. I was just not sure of my exact location as it
related to my destination.) Actually,
I was just traveling in the wrong direction on the right road with three of my grandchildren,
while on the way to meet my other two grands in an unfamiliar city in the rain.
I had given all three of
my young traveling partners precise, intense instructions. They were to close out whatever else they
were doing and put on their “open eyes” in order to watch the roads and help me
find the Chick-Fil-A that was our rendezvous point.
And you never know…you
might even find something VERY interesting when you have your eyes wide open. All of a sudden out of the back seat came
these words of excitement, “Look at that big gun!”
Well, you can guess that
statement got my attention! “Where?” I
questioned. “Right there!” my grandson
answered.
Can you envision this moment
with me? I am a Mimi who is responsible for
her precious cargo, so I ask myself Do I
have a passerby in a tall truck armed with fire power, or perhaps a sniper on a
distant roof with a really big gun? Or
worse, have we been called to war in this unfamiliar city that we are not
really lost in?
Truthfully, none of those scary
scenarios really existed. It was only an
extremely large billboard advertisement with a HUGE gun displayed for all to
see. What I almost had, however in the
midst of this imaginary crisis, was a very REAL precarious scenario of my own. The traffic in front of us was stopping for
the traffic light, and I was still interested in finding the armed assailant that
I needed to guard my precious three grandchildren from!!!
Tate had indeed discovered
“something” with his “open eyes,” exactly as I challenged them to do. Obedience
at its best. None of the other
passers-by were noting the exciting billboard except my three and me. Nothing of any significance happened as I
quickly applied my brakes just in the nick of time to stop safely.
Nothing, that is, until my
phone and traveling directions slid from the front seat to the floorboard under
my feet. Nothing, that is, until I
instructed my oldest (Tucker) to lean over and quickly pick them up for me. He tried, and in his haste, he became locked
his own seatbelt from his jarring effort and experienced one of those funny cramps
in his shoulder from the reach. He was
now frozen. Obedience at its best.
Then from the back seat comes
Tate over the front to the rescue saying. “Mimi, I can get it.” And he tried.
Obedience at its best.
What just happened here and
is worthy of today’s simple story? Could it be a lesson of how quickly chaos
can erupt because of my loss of focus? In
that moment in my car, all of my little passengers were acting exactly in line
with my instructions. They were very clear
and quite obedient, but I was the one that had become distracted, not them. I was the adult ordering the directions and soliciting
their help. Yet I was the adult quickly
distracted by the small voice from the back.
Yes, the day was a
success, and yes, we safely arrived at our destination. But let’s be reminded that
in life there are many little ones depending on our maturity, our guidance, and
our discernment. They are depending on us to not get distracted by fictitious armed
assailants in passing cars. They are depending on us STAYING FOCUSED!
In this case it was just a
loving grandson excited over something interesting. But in
other cases the distractions can be more deliberate and even disastrous.
Let’s never become
calloused as to how easily and how quickly our eyes can be taken from the road
by what we hear excitedly from the backseat. Let’s never forget how others can be affected
by our moments of distraction. Let’s keep
the journey happy and the destination safe for all—and keep our focus!!!!!! Little ones are often ready to jump at our commands,
so let’s stay the course and help them land safely!!!! Blessings, Mimi (AKA Anne)
So we fix
our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is
temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:18
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