When Jim got up, and came into the living room at 5 a.m., he was shocked to see Joshua asleep on the couch.
It is one of my fears that Joshua is going to fall down the stairs. He's pretty agile, but he has zero depth perception. And, in the dark? This is a nightmare in the making for me.
But Joshua told him that he came down the stairs on his bottom. That's what I've always told him to do...if he was scared in the night, or sick...please come down on your bottom, because it's safer. Or, as Joshua said, "it was more safer." I was happy to know that he did just that!
Jim said Joshua had brought his pillow, Bible, water bottle, iPOD touch, phone...and THREE hankies down with him.
And, as cute as the mental image of Joshua coming down the stairs on his bottom in the night...even cuter is the mental imagine of him coming down the stairs on his bottom in the night...with all of his stuff.
I mean...BLESS.
Years ago, Joshua was terrified of storms. TERRIFIED. And he would dart into our room like a bat outta you-know-where...and we would make him a "pallet" on the floor (and, because I had someone comment and ask me one time, a "pallet" is just a little padded area for kids to sleep on...sheet, blanket or a quilt. When our kids got too big to all crawl into bed with us, or if they didn't want to...but they got scared, or were sick in the night...they would bring in some blankets or maybe a sleeping bag...and put it on the floor by our bed. There were some nights when there were 2 on the floor and 2 in the bed with us. NOT EVEN KIDDING).
Anyway, we would look up Bible verses on not being afraid...that God was always with us...that God was in control of the weather. It took several years, but Joshua finally got over his fear of storms. Correction: GOD got Joshua over his fear of storms. He still gets concerned, but it's not nearly as bad as it was.
Even so, there are still many times when I go into Joshua's room to check on him, and he'll be sleeping on his Bible. Like, his head would be laying on his Bible. Or, his Bible would be under his pillow.
I don't know about you, but, to me, that is just such a sweet picture of childlike faith; Of believing and trusting that God's word is life; that it is comfort. It is strength. It is wisdom. It is peace. It is a strong tower (Proverbs 18:10). It is safety.
And even Joshua, my Downsy boy...my big man-child...knows the truth that God's word is a shield.
I just love that.
And, I don't know that the rest of us wouldn't be better off if we faced life like this as well.
"As for God, His way is blameless; The word of the LORD is tried; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him." Psalm 18:30
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