Barbie dolls
Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered. Psalm 60:5
My Barbie dolls were spread across the back porch, perched atop their shiny pink suitcase that also served as the stage for their latest fashion show. All of us were filthy, barefoot, and enjoying every moment of my fifth summer.
“Your sister and I are running across the street to visit the neighbor,” Mommy said, poking her head out the door. “Do you want to come with us?”
“No. My Barbies want me to finish my story.” I giggled to myself, watching Mommy cross the street.
“I’m thirsty. I’ll be right back.”
Just as the sun slid behind the trees for the evening, I returned to my waiting audience; their perfect faces eager with anticipation. Before my feet reached the porch, my heart stopped at the sight of the biggest black bug I had ever seen. A hundred legs carried it’s huge, black body closer to my Barbies. I screamed, jumping back inside to lock the door behind me.
For one brief moment, I considered escaping through the front door.
But what if he can see me? Or what if there is a whole family of Barbie-eating bugs waiting in the front yard?
Panic froze me in my tracks and I imagined the worst, crying until I could no longer breathe.
Then I remembered to call for help. The neighbor’s phone number was scrawled in big letters, attached to the refrigerator door. I dialed it, using undecipherable words to convey the highest level of emergency at our home.
Mommy crossed the street and I let out a sigh of relief when she made it safely through the front yard.
I watched as she gathered the creature of death into a paper towel. “Oh, it’s just a beetle,” she said, as if giving it a name might help. And with a flush of the toilet, she proved she was the bravest woman I’d ever met.
Why is it, when faced with unforeseen obstacles, we call for help as a last resort? Our concerns should go to God first…allowing Him to handle it long before the panic sets in.
No matter what troubles us, God is waiting for us to sit back and let Him handle it. Turn your fears and worries over to the One who manages much better than us.
Janet is the author of the book, The Parent’s Guide to Uncluttering Your Home, released in May of 2011. She currently writes on such topics as faith, family, writing, teen issues, and of course, the process of uncluttering. Janet launched Abbandoned Ministries late in 2010, which leads others through speaking and writing to seek God as Abba during times of abandonment. For additional information, visit her websites at http://www.abbandoned.com or http://janetmorrisgrimes.com.
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