As we prepare in Advent for the arrival of God’s only Son into the world, it makes me think about how I prepare my only son for the world as we know it today. There have been many changes that have happened in all our lives, but especially for the children. They’ve gone from full-time school to full-time staying home or full-time childcare.
For my son, these changes seemed to bring him some anxiety. We’ve talked about breathing techniques and different ways to help him when he’s feeling anxious; but my one go-to method when dealing with fear, stress, or anxiety is to pray it out. We usually pray it out together!
It’s one of those things I’m trying to instill in him. In all circumstances, to run to God in prayer. We prayed through his first flight as he gripped my hand and closed his eyes. We’ve prayed through night terrors, scary thoughts, and storms. I wondered if it’s really sinking in; if when faced with a problem in the future, would he know to run to God?
It wasn’t until one Sunday afternoon this summer that I realized he got the message. We made a spontaneous trip to Frontier City one day after church. We were having a blast and enjoying the sunshine, until I convinced him to ride the Wild Cat, an older wooden roller coaster.
As we stood in line, I could feel his nervousness, but he still seemed excited! As we loaded the cart and started to make our way up the track, he suddenly realized he no longer wanted to participate in this ride, but it was a little too late at that point! As we took the first plunge, I felt his nails grip into my upper arm and I heard his little scared voice say, “Dear Baby Jesus!! Please God just take me back to church – I’m not ready to meet you yet!!!” and he repeated this several times until the ride finally stopped. As we exited the ride, I was crying with laughter, and he was calming down. I was so joy-filled knowing that when he was at his most scared, he didn’t cry for me, but went straight to prayer!
As we go through this crazy month of December with all the Christmas events, parties, and planning – I’m trying to practice what I preach, and in the times of anxiety or stress, to go to God in prayer; to rely on Him to help me! It’s funny how we teach things to our children and in return, they teach us right back!
Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me. – Psalm 50:15
– Taylor Easttom, Edmond Campus Director of Children’s Ministry
