I got out of the exit, frenzied. Everything looked unfamiliar. I panicked.
Late already in the pouring rain, we were lost.
We’d never done this before.
Papa woke up ill. Unable to send Sarah-Faith to kindergarten, I said, “Mama will do it!”
But how it rained. No taxis were available. I don’t drive.
“Are we ready for a big adventure?” I asked, half-nervous.
In the rain, we walked over two bus stops to reach the train station. But two train stops later, we alighted, only to find ourselves at the wrong exit, farthest from school.
As I watched Sarah-Faith, pink rabbit ears over her head, and little Esther-Praise, crouched under her trike’s hood, my heart sank.
“I’m so sorry,” I muttered, blaming myself, their little legs struggling to catch up.
“It’s OK, Mama. See, it’s up ahead!”
As I walked back to the station, I looked once more at the signs and noticed I’d mistaken a church for her school. That’s how we got lost- i read my destination wrongly. My little ones, unflinching in their trust, followed, uncomplainingly.
As I thought about the responsibility we have as parents to lead our children, my eyes soured. Tears welled up.
How many of us hustle through life, hurrying our kids along, only to find ourselves emerge from the underpass of life, disoriented, shaken, saying, “This is not where I thought we’d end up.”
Have we lost our compass?
As we plan our next steps for an uncertain future- maybe in Africa, or a developing country in Asia, I worry for my children’s education. But today, as I got lost, I felt God ask me- what is yr destination? Check the signs. Walk with intention.
I’m learning- so many of us mistake our end goals. We want our children to get into the right schools, to get the right grades, to get into the right courses. But to what end? What good is it for a child to gain the “whole world” yet lose his/her soul?
I’m learning- that my responsibility, first and foremost, is to know where we are headed.
My end? For them to know Jesus. To leave a legacy.
And if that’s the case, I’d rather slow down with my compass to get to the right exit. How about you?