Good vs Bad

Landon's babysitter is Spanish. She is sweet and caring and has two sweet boys of her own. Landon has been with her for 2 years and loves her. I feel completely comfortable with her and trust her so much....BUT, this week all of that was questioned. She decided to volunteer at her church during their VBS and bring the boys. She asked if it was ok to take Landon and I agreed that it was fine. Then Monday morning came and I met her at the church.The church is on a street in Tampa that doesn't have the best rep. The church is next to a labor ready place with random men sitting outside. I parked the car and just sat there scoping out the scenery.  I felt uneasy. I decided to proceed inside and see how this church really was. You know, to make sure there weren't any snake charmers or people flopping around on the floor like fish out of water. Then Landon said "hold you" which means that he wanted me to hold him because he felt just like I did, uneasy. We walked in the glass front door and were greeted by five smiling young adults. They checked us in and told us to head into the auditorium. There was a young lady dressed as a princess on stage talking about "standing strong" for God. We sat down and listened. Landon wouldn't let go of me. I embrace this and help him feel as comfortable as possible in a new setting. You see, I was the same way as a child. Sensitive and cautious. Shy and quiet. I remember my family often saying "She is shy." and for my whole life I thought I was shy. I'm really not shy at all, I just like to scope out the pool before jumping in. I like to access the situation. I like to make sure it's safe. So, I know why Landon is this way and I try not to label him with "shy". We both sat there and watched how everyone interacted, we listened to the music, we watched the children dance to the music, we watched the leaders and volunteers do the same. They eased our uneasy. For the next four hours, we sat in a dark room with fake candles lit with a leader proclaiming that our children are the light of the world and that God will be with us during all of our dark times, we ate strawberry ice cream with chocolate sprinkles, we held hands, we met a Knight in Shiny Armor, we danced on stage and we smiled through it all. When I left yesterday God made me realize that even though the church wasn't in a safe place, I could find peace and happiness because he was. I put all my worries aside and trusted him and his people to keep my son safe. After all, isn't that what he does with us every day? I took Landon in this morning and everyone remembered me and greeted me with a friendly hello or good morning. They knew Landon was mine. I think they knew that I need some comfort and they gave me that. I cannot protect my child against the difficulties of this world and to me that is a battlefield every day. My love for him will not always save him. Sometimes we just have to let them go and trust that they will be okay. It's so hard to have trust in our world today, but sometimes our world isn't the one they show on the ten o'clock news. I believe our world is 80% good and 20% bad, and unfortunately we only see the 20% at times. I ask that you all look for the goodness today. 

So thankful for my sweet babysitter who sends me 387 pictures in 3 hours to reassure me than he is happy and safe! 

♥