Back before the world fell apart, toward the end of 2019, Bella Kate told me, in her smug little first grade voice, “I learn a lot of stuff from listening to you when you don’t think I’m paying attention!” I chuckled to myself and thought, “Thanks for the reminder, kid!” She was very proud of herself for figuring that out! And I would be lying if I said it didn’t cause me to hesitate for a second!

Fast forward to March of 2020. We were in the very beginning phases of COVID-19. Toilet paper and hand sanitizer seemed to be only found on the black market. (Side note, we literally dropped 2 brand new rolls of toilet paper into the toilet within the short time span of 2 days- TWO days, you guys! HOW DOES THAT EVEN HAPPEN? And John was one of the droppers!) People were hoarding groceries as if their lives depended on it so the grocery store shelves were bare. All the schools were closed and people were sent home from work because EVERYONE (minus those whose jobs were deemed “essential”) was told to go home and hunker down. So that is what we did! This was also the first time in my life I had ever heard the term “social distancing.” It was scary. It was unfamiliar. There were and still are just so many unknowns. But this was basically when our world, as we knew it, changed.

At our house, we embraced the time of slowing down. I was furloughed from my dental hygiene job and with John having recently retired from the military, he was still in between jobs as well. So we did what we could to find joy in the everyday things. We took the girls fishing. We made art projects. We tried to “homeschool” as best we could. And though there were some fun things happening, it was also a time of high anxiety. Every phone call we received and every person we passed in the neighborhood only had one thing to talk about, “How crazy things were!”

Never in our lifetime had we had to literally think about being able to get food. Never in our lifetime had our society as a whole been told to go home and stay home. Some people were enjoying the unexpected time off while others were feeling very overwhelmed with the demands of working from home while also having to care for and try to educate their children at the same time. A common phrase that was being shared was that “We are all in the same boat”, though I disagreed. We were all in deep waters for sure, but many were living quite comfortably in their yachts while others were clinging to life rafts. Everyone had to deal with the new world in their own way and with what they had.

One night in those very early days, I tucked both girls into bed. I immediately started getting ready for bed myself. I had no sooner covered up with the blanket when Bella Kate came to my bedside with big crocodile sized tears in her eyes and said, “Mommy, I’m afraid.” Thinking that she was going to tell me that she was afraid of a monster or something along those lines, I waited a beat or two before saying, “What are you afraid of?” She said, “I’m afraid we are going to run out of food!” And with those words my heart broke into a million pieces as I remembered her words only a few months before. She had in fact been listening as I talked to friends and neighbors about stores being out of the basic necessities and how crazy the world had so quickly become.

She climbed into bed beside me and I reminded her of the times in the Bible where God took care of His people in REALLY big ways. We talked about the parting of the Red Sea. We talked about the calming of the storm in which Carly told a VERY interesting version. (I only wish I had it on video because she stood up on the bed and acted out how the boat was tossed to and fro and how Jesus told the storm to stop and the waves listened. Somewhere during the storm a cat got on the boat with Jesus! I can’t say I had ever heard that particular version of things! Ha!) We talked about Jesus raising people from the dead. Bella Kate told the story of Jesus feeding the 5000 and how they started with only 5 loaves of bread and 2 small fish and yet all 5,000 were filled and there were 12 baskets of left overs! And then we read the verse in the Luke about how God takes care of the lilies in the field, and we discussed how much MORE important we are than them! By the time she got out of our bed to go back to her own, she was smiling. And I have to admit, my heart felt a little lighter as well!

That night, I was reminded of 2 things…

1. My girls are indeed watching me. The are hearing the side comments. They are seeing the looks of worry, concern, delight and also annoyance. They are watching how I respond to the stress I feel. They are watching me to see how I handle anxiety. They are watching to see if I am afraid which will let them know if they themselves should be afraid. They see (and learn a lot) even when I don’t think they are watching. I need to be careful how I respond to what is going on around me whether that be good or bad.
2. I needed those reminders of God’s faithfulness and love as much as they did! I too needed to be reminded of all the miraculous ways God has provided for His people in the past. And you know what? God is still ALIVE and WELL today. He is still in the business of caring for and healing His creation. And THAT is a pretty great thing to remember!!

As you are going about your business today, may you also consider the lilies of the field. They do not work or make their own clothing and yet even Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as one of these! How much more will God take care of you?