He was fearful again.

Larry told his parents, “I want to be brave like David. He wasn’t afraid of anything.” Larry’s mom hugged him, “You don’t need to be afraid. God will help.”

Larry’s dad comforted him, “On our trip this summer we will find something that will remind you of God’s love and protection.” Larry almost smiled, “Thanks, Mom and Dad.”

While the Lewis family was packing the car for their vacation, Lisa saw Larry carrying his writing tablet. Lisa teased, “Are you going to have some fun on this trip? Or are you just gonna write the whole time?”

Larry gave Lisa a nasty look, “While we are in the car, call out some words and I will write them.“ Lisa said, “You’re going to need a lot of help.“

Mr. Lewis reminded Lisa, “You need to be encouraging your brother, not being mean.” Lisa grunted, “OK. I’ll help.”

After about a half hour, the back seat was filled with things that the kids forgot to put in their luggage. Just before they left, Mrs. Lewis asked the kids, “Is there room back there?” Larry responded, “We’re OK, Mom.”

As soon as the car pulled out of the driveway, Lisa said, “OK, Larry. Your first word is ‘tree’.” Larry chuckled, “That’s a really easy one.”

Lisa said, “I wanted to make sure you got at least one word correct.” Then she added, “I have a hard word.” Larry said, “Let’s not play this game.”

Lisa challenged, “Just try one more. I know you can spell ‘automobile’.“. Lisa looked at the word Larry wrote and said with a smirk, “That doesn’t look right to me.”

Larry said, “Let’s try another one.” Lisa responded, “How about ‘restaurant’?” Lisa waited as Larry was getting frustrated. Then Lisa snickered, “What is that?” Larry tore the paper out of his writing tablet and threw it on the floor. Mr. Lewis interrupted, “That’s the end of that game.”

After several hours, the Lewis family pulled into a small town. After lunch, the family decided to look in a store close to the restaurant.

Lisa’s eyes lit up, “Look at all that pretty jewelry.” Mrs. Lewis ask the store owner, “Could we look more closely at a few of the less expensive items?” Larry asked, “How long is this going to take?“

Mr. and Mrs. Lewis finally agreed to buy a locket. Lisa danced around and said, “It looks like it was made just for me.” Larry pulled his baseball cap down over his eyes.

When Mrs. Lewis put the locket around Lisa’s neck, she said. “It is so beautiful. It makes me look like a princess. What can I put inside it?” Mrs. Lewis answered, “We will find something.” As they returned to the car, Larry whispered, “Finally.”

Mr. and Mrs. Lewis had disgusted looks on their faces as they looked in the back seat. Mr. Lewis said, “The next time we stop, we have to find a way to put a lot of this stuff in the trunk.” Mrs. Lewis said, “That’s for sure.”

When the family finally arrived at the vacation site, Larry said, “Look. They have a pool.” Lisa exclaimed, “Yes.”

The next day, the family went on a day-long adventure visiting museums and searching local shops for exciting mementoes of their vacation.

Mr. Lewis asked, “What’s wrong, son? Aren’t you having fun?” It looked like Larry was about to cry. Larry’s dad said, “What is on your mind?”

Larry said, “I want to grow up to be faithful like Daniel. I don’t want my friends to tease me if I tell them about Jesus.”

Mr. Lewis said, “God will give you His Holy Spirit. He will give you reminders that He is always with you.” Almost immediately, Larry felt comforted.

As they were talking, Mrs. Lewis and Lisa walked up. Larry’s mom had something in her hand. She said to Larry, “Look what I bought for you.” As Larry looked at the framed picture, he started to cry again. But this time, Mr. Lewis knew that these were tears of joy.

The picture was showing Daniel in the lion’s den being protected by God’s angel. Larry’s dad said, “You can hang this in your room. It will remind you of how God protects His children.” Larry said, “Thanks. I love it.”