Both of my nieces stayed the night for the first time on Saturday. I had one or the other overnight before, but never both together. It’s true that kids change everything – your routine, your sleep, your plans – but I think that change is for the better.
My sister and brother-in-law stayed late enough on Saturday night to get both girls into bed before they left. I was worried about Bella waking up, getting out of bed and falling down the stairs in the middle of the night so my sister let me borrow a gate. We put the gate at the top of the stairs and arranged the room so both girls had a safe place to sleep, and went downstairs for some late night pizza.
Baby Abbi fell asleep so my sister carried her upstairs to put her to bed. Unbeknown to her at the time, Bella followed her up the stairs. If it had not been for the gate meant for her safety, everything would have been fine. But when Bella reached the gate at the top of the stairs she tried getting over it and couldn’t. She lost control and somersaulted down the entire length of our stairs.
Everyone was worried about the poor girl. It could have been a nasty fall that did serious damage. Thankfully, the fall was neither nasty nor damaging and after the initial outburst, she was fine.
It was a lesson learned for me. Though Bella’s getting to be more of a big girl every day, she’s still just a babe and needs protection. As those entrusted with her care, we’re responsible for her safety until she’s old enough to not need that protection any more.
It’s funny how your thoughts change when a precious child is in your arms and you’re worried she might be hurt. God cares the same way for us. We never outgrow our need for His protection and He’ll never stop being the Good Shepherd who looks after us.
So, thank you, Lord, for protecting Bella and help me to watch over the children you entrust to my care as well as You look after me.
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