Interactions with God #75

While living up in New Boston, we went with another family to the Deerfield Fair.  Though this fair is small in comparison to the Texas State Fair, for a State that is barely bigger than the Dallas/Fort Worth area, it was quite large.  Martha had gone many times as she grew up in NH.  It was a fun time of eating really bad food, riding rides and just spending time with family and friends.  Except for when Brianne got lost.

Like with any fair, there are large crowds.  I just got off a little roller coaster ride with Brianne, who was 3 years old.  I believe it was a large caterpillar looking thing.  Once we exited, Bri excitedly went over to her mom and our friends.  Somewhere in the process, she went on ahead of us as we moved down the pathway to a four way intersection.  Martha then realized that Brianne was no longer with us.

If you have never experienced the panic of losing a child, let me tell you, it is a very unpleasant experience.  Within seconds of realization, the worst of every possible scenario comes to mind in rapid fire succession.  Someone has got her!  They already shaved her head and are moving out of the park gates!  Yea, it runs like that. 

Fear overwhelmed me.  I stood there at the intersecting pathway.  I had four choices to move toward. I didn’t know which way she went, back, forward right or left.  If I picked the wrong one, the odds of my finding her, were slim, especially if someone did grab her. 

Pushing fear aside, which was a really big struggle, I quieted myself and asked God for help.  He spoke loud and clear. “I have her. Do not fear.”  Still fighting the urge to run around screaming, I picked a direction… left.  As I headed down the path struggling to not let the thoughts and fears overwhelm me, I kept second guessing my direction decision.  Moving probably 50 yards, with a clearly concerned look on my face, a woman approached me.  She said “Are you looking for a little girl?”  “YES!”  She said her husband picked her up and took her to the lost and found area for kids. 

You would think that alone would bring relief, but my thoughts then turned to thinking that maybe her husband was a sicko.  I did so for only a second, because as she led me to where the lost and found area was, she began to speak of her Christian faith.  It turned out that she was the wife of the Sheriff, who was also a Christian.

Yes, My God, He had her, even before I lost sight of her.