When I Am Afraid......

Crash

Flash

Rumble

"Mom!" Hayden yelled from across the house. "What was that?"

All the commotion of the yelling and the thundering startled Claire and she ran whimpering onto the couch and hide her face.

"Don't worry, Hayden. Its just thunder and some lightening. We are having a thunderstorm," I reassured him.

"Well, I don't like storms. They make me afraid" he said.

"Come here, sit with me" I said and he walked over across the room and climbed up onto my lap. I pulled Claire up from the corner of the couch that she was hiding in and set her next to me. "You don't have to be afraid. We are in our nice, safe house and the thunder can't get us in here."

"It can't?" he asked. By now Jake and Quinn were interested in what was going on and climbed up onto the couch as well.

"No. The storm is outside and we are inside so we are safe in here. There is no need to be afraid." I reassured him.

"But it is still kinda scary," He said.

"Yeah, I know," I said. "But did you know that when I was a little girl, that I was afraid of thunderstorms too? I did not like them one bit until my Grandma told me something that helped me."

"What?" he questioned.

"She told me that when I was afraid, I should trust in Jesus."

He looked at me with a puzzled look on his face so I tried again.

"When I was little and there was a storm, rumbling and thundering, outside. I used to run and hide my face until it was over. And sometimes, I would even cry. But my Grandma told me that I didn't need to do that because Jesus would protect me and keep me safe from the storm. She told me to say those words over and over again and that was my prayer to Jesus and He would keep me safe and make me not afraid anymore. What to try and say it with me?"

"Yeah" he said with a giggle in his voice.

"When I am afraid," I began.

"When I am afraid," he repeated.

"....I will trust in Jesus."

"...I will trust in Jesus!" he exclaimed.

"When I am afraid, I will trust in Jesus. When I am afraid, I will trust in Jesus." I said again and again until repeated it with me.

"There do you feel better?" I asked.

"A little bit. But Mom, are you sure Jesus can protect us better than a robot dog? A robot dog could do a better job."

"No, Hayden." I said with a smile. "A robot dog would not be able to protect us like Jesus could because a robot dog couldn't make the storm stop like Jesus just did. Go and see."

"Oh yeah," he said as he ran to the window to look out, "But can we still get a robot dog?"

"I don't know, go ask your Dad." I said with an exasperated sigh.