Page 74

Loudoun came out of his room for the 8th time during bedtime tonight. This time, compared to the other 7 times (asking for water, a new movie, my tummy hurts, I can't sleep, etc.), he was legitimately afraid. He said he couldn't stop thinking about a scary moment that occurred a few days ago.

For reference, he was swimming in the spa with 1/2 the cover still on, went underwater to practice holding his breath, and when he came back up his head hit the cover, and gave him a panic feeling like he was trapped. It didn't seem like a big deal at the time, since he swam right over to the open area, but I guess it was on his mind a bit more than mine.

So, while he was out in the living room telling us how much it was bothering him, Rick and I were trying to suggest other things he could think about to take his mind off of it. Not much was working, so I suggested he go read his kids' Bible. He was still slow to move, so I tried explaining that God is watching him right now, understands that he is scared, and reading His words will help make him feel better. And then I told him to go read page 74.* That convinced him to scurry along.

Loudoun came back 5 minutes later and said, "Did you know that God has wings? His wings are so big they wrap around the world and cover everyone." Wow, what a moment. He read a page that perfectly explained that God is there to protect him. What a lesson God showed all of us, at the exact perfect moment. We sat around and talked about it for a few, and afterwards he was ready to try sleep again. Although, Loudoun did tell us that God never sleeps, to which I replied, "Yes, but YOU do."

Afterwards, I HAD to go check out what verse page 74 refers to in the Bible....Psalm 121.

Psalm 121
A song of ascents.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Oh what a blessing this was. I love to see God working in my children.

* I know critics recommend you don't randomly point to Bible verses to answer life questions...this was purely a strategy to redirect Loudoun's focus.