3. God’s Peace

 

The Lewis family spent the next few days talking about their trip. Mr. and Mrs. Lewis tried to help their children understand this new adventure. They would go through an airport and into another country. There were challenges with both that the kids had never had to think about.

 

One morning, Larry was sitting at the breakfast table poking at his cereal. Lisa had already finished eating breakfast and went out into the backyard with her drawing materials. Lisa seemed to be at peace with the trip, however, Larry wasn’t quite there.

 

Mrs. Lewis looked over at her son with great concern. She said, “Larry, how are you doing?”

 

Larry was still very slow in responding, “Oh, Mom. I’ll be all right.“

 

Mrs. Lewis said, “Would you like to talk about it some more?”

 

Larry lifted up his head, and said, “I don’t understand. Lisa just goes into the backyard, and sits there and looks around and decides to start drawing. It’s like she’s not even really thinking about how dangerous this trip could be.”

 

Mrs. Lewis responded, “Your dad and I know that this is really hard for you, Larry. You’re usually OK with new experiences, but we did talk to you about some things that might be a bit, scary.”

 

Larry said, “Well, maybe a little bit scary.”

 

Mrs. Lewis said, “That’s OK. We can talk about it some more tonight when Dad gets home. We’ll pray together as a family.“

 

Larry said, “Thanks, Mom.”

 

——

 

As the Lewis family was finishing their dinner that night, Mr. Lewis started talking to Larry about his anxious feelings.

 

While Mr. Lewis was talking, he realized that Larry didn’t seem to be paying attention anymore.

 

Mr. Lewis said, “Larry, are you there?”

 

Larry didn’t respond immediately.

 

Lisa said, “Larry’s body is still here, but his mind is off on some other planet, I think.“

 

Larry came back into reality, and said “Oh, Dad. I’m sorry. What did you say?“

 

Mr. Lewis said, “Larry, we know you’re really having a difficult time trying to understand what it will be like on this trip. There are still a lot of unknowns. But we have to put our trust in the Lord. We had to talk to you and Lisa about some of the potential dangers of being in an airport and other countries these days. We have to remember that God is going to take care of us.”

 

Mr. Lewis waited a few minutes expecting Larry to say something, but he didn’t.

 

Mr. Lewis continued, “Larry, do you remember that we were talking about a verse in the Bible yesterday that says that God does not give us a spirit of fear. The fear is coming from the enemy. Do you remember what the rest of the verse is?“

 

Larry responded, “I remember that part, but I can’t remember what the rest of it is.”

 

Lisa said, “God gives us a spirit of love, power, and a sound mind.“

 

Mr. Lewis said, “Very good Lisa. I’m glad you remembered it. That’s probably why you’re not having a problem with fear.“

 

Mrs. Lewis said, “Yes, Lisa. That’s fantastic that you remembered the verse. It is OK for you to remind Larry about verses like this when he’s feeling down. You just have to remember to say things in love.“

 

Lisa said, “You’re right, Mom. But I’m gonna need a lot of help from God to do that.“

 

The Lewis family decided that they needed to spend some time praying for and with each other. After this time of prayer, Larry said that he was feeling like God was comforting him.

 

——

 

Grandpa was also having a difficult time with some of his thoughts. He was sitting in his living room, staring at the picture of the castle.

 

He was concerned that some of the other kids might think that he liked Larry and Lisa more, because he was taking them on the trip. He was also still not very comfortable with the fact that Alex had given him so much money from the proceeds of his book. Neither he nor his son had anything to do with writing the book. Shouldn’t Alex get all of the proceeds instead of sharing them with him.

 

Grandpa knew that he needed to spend some time quietly with the Lord. The Lord reminded him of a scripture that says you should not be anxious, but with thanksgiving, ask the Lord for the things you need help with.

 

This was Grandpa’s prayer, “Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to have such a wonderful relationship with these young boys and girls. I know that you have something very special for Larry and Lisa that I can help with. I know that you led me to invite Larry and Lisa and their parents to go with me on this trip. You also provided the money for the trip. I am trusting you to accomplish what you desire on this trip.”

 

Grandpa continued to sit in his chair in the living room for a little while longer. He felt like God was reminding him that the children need to understand what a lord is, so that they can better appreciate that Jesus is the Lord of lords. Grandpa could see that might be a benefit from this trip, since the person who owns the castle has the title of Lord.