The knowledge that neither we nor our children nor indeed anyone can ever be outside God's protection and love has given our family great cause for thanksgiving.
Once, when our daughter was three years old and we were spending the day at the seashore, she and her brother held hands and ran in and out of the waves. I was on the beach, and at one point I turned away for a moment. When I looked again, our son was standing by himself. I ran into the water, knowing with all my heart that as God's child our daughter was not mortal—her life was "hid with Christ in God" (Col. 3:3). Suddenly I felt led to thrust my hand into the water. As I did, I touched my daughter's hand and was able to pull her up. She was safe.
When our son was an active four year old, one day I discovered him lying listlessly on the couch. We didn't yet have a phone in our house as we had just moved. So, I ran to a corner phone booth to call a Christian Science practitioner while my husband stayed with the boy. After I'd explained the situation, the practitioner said to me, "What are you afraid of? This isn't your child but God's, and God knows how to take care of His children. 'Loose him, and let him go'" (John 11:44).
