Gasp. I lost my six-year old son on the boardwalk of Ocean City.
We had been enjoying a beautiful weekend at the beach, just the two of us. I thought it would be a fun activity to rent Dylan a bike one morning. You know, the kind with three wheels, push pedals and a really tall flag on the back. In my mind, he would slowly ride beside me as I enjoyed a morning stroll on the boardwalk. I was wrong.
He rode beside me for a little while. Always looking over his shoulder or circling back to make sure I was with him. Before long, he got ahead of me and I called him to me. Something down the boardwalk must have caught his attention. Maybe it was the lure of the carnival or the smell of the boardwalk food. Maybe he was simply exercising his sense of freedom.
That bike was fast. He was too. I was not.
I could see the bike’s flag. I knew where he was, but only for a brief second. And then he disappeared. Gone.
The boardwalk was already crowded with people. A lot of people. My imagination took over and panic ensued over the possibilities. What ifs flew through my mind. I had jogged several blocks and he was nowhere to be found. By this time, I was almost to the carnival and arcade area, and I still couldn’t find him. No flag in sight. Gone.
Breathe.
I sat down on a bench, prayed and waited. Would he eventually lose that focus and wonder where I am? Before long, I could see that beautiful orange flag waving in the distance, weaving its way through the crowd back to me. Feelings of relief and anger swept through me. Followed closely by thoughts of discipline. Eventually leading to understanding and grace.
I can vividly recall each time I lost Dylan in a crowd. Yes, it happened more than once and always in a crowded, public place. The National Zoo, Busch Gardens, Myrtle Beach, and of course the Boardwalk to name a few. That boy needed a leash.
No matter how much I called his name, he couldn’t hear my calls. He was so focused that he forgot about me. As a child he couldn’t see danger the way a parent does. He could only focus on what he wanted in the moment.
Isn’t that what we all experience when we lose our focus on our Heavenly Father? We become so fixated on unnecessary distractions that our time and attention is drawn away from our families, both earthly and heavenly. These things crowd out our time with Him. Our wandering nature needs discipline. Then, we finally turn around and realize we are lost without Him.
I feel His lessons each time I lose my focus. I hear His words in my heart.
Shift your focus to Me. I will lead you on the path you belong. Listen to Me always. Listen for Me when you feel lost and alone. Listen for Me in the darkness, in the crowds, among the noises of your world. I am walking beside you, trying to slow you down before you run ahead of me off the path. It takes discipline to stop, refocus on Me and come back. I will be waiting patiently on a bench for you.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)
Tami Parris 