Hebrews 13:5

Last night, after five and a half years of parenting, I came upon another parenting first: I forgot about my child.

It all happened at church. Justin was in a meeting. Micah and Emmy were in the nursery. Abby and I were downstairs with the teens for Sr. High youth group. We were all gathered around watching some of the teens playing ping pong. Abby was mingling as she does so very well. Then she came and asked if she could go potty. Of course I said yes - the bathroom was right around the corner. What I didn't know was that she went to the upstairs bathroom.

A few moments later Justin walked into the room and a bunch of us were chatting. Then he told everyone to head to the gym for game time. So off we went! I didn't really think about Abby because she always just goes with the group.

We got to the gym, played dodge ball, and 15 minutes later headed back to the church building. When I walked through the doors it was like a light switch flipped in my brain and I instantly came to a complete halt. Literally.

"Where is Abby?!" I exclaimed.

A friend and I quickly headed toward the room that the teens use. No Abby.

We went to the auditorium and peeked through a back door. Still no Abby.

I went to the nursery. No Abby.

Then my panic mode kicked in. I asked the usher at the back door of the auditorium. Again the answer was "no".

Then from across the room my friend mouthed and motioned that she thought Abby was towards the front with the Senior Pastor's wife and her daughter. So I walked up the hallway and peeked in the side door. I couldn't see her from there either! Finally the usher walked up and he and another man in our church brought Abby out to me.

Abby was calm until she saw me and that is when she burst into tears and said, "Mommy! You left me!"

I hugged her and told her how sorry I was as she told me how she had come back downstairs to find everyone gone. Then she went back upstairs and the pastor's daughter found her. Then she went in and sat with them.

We finished out the evening and then came home. As I was tucking them in and praying with the girls Abby asked me if there were any verses in the Bible about not being able to find your mommy. So I turned to Hebrews 13:5 and read to her.

"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such
things as ye have : for he hath said , I will never leave thee, nor forsake
thee."

We had a great conversation then about how God will never leave us...even when we can't find anyone else God will be with us.

I felt really bad last night. I still do. If you've done something similar you understand the mix of emotions. But I can praise God that it happened at church and that Abby was able to find someone to help here quite quickly. I'm thankful for the lesson it allowed her to learn about what to do if she is separated from us. An important thing for a social butterfly to learn. But most of all I'm thankful that she was able to grasp the fact that I am human and will sometimes mess up, but God will always be with her.

No matter what.

So that is the latest from the trenches of motherhood where I'm praising God that He found me when I was lost.