It was a hot, Spring day. I was 25 years old and babysitting my two children while my wife was out. My son was 4 years old. He had been diagnosed with Autism a year earlier and had no real sense of danger. His sister was 2 years old and followed him around the apartment wherever he went. We lived on the second story of an old concrete building with high ceilings and long, narrow windows. The inside of the apartment wasn't well insulated. I felt sweaty and miserable from the heat. I finally opened one of the windows a crack and went into the kitchen to pour myself a glass of iced tea.
When I walked back into the living room I looked for my children but they were nowhere to be seen. I turned my head frantically and then saw them sitting on the narrow ledge, outside of the window, 20 feet above the concrete sidewalk below. My heart started racing and I opened my mouth to scream, but all at once I felt a calmness seize me and hold me still. It kept me from yelling and rushing to the window. Instead I felt like I was outside my body. I watched myself as I walked over to the window and gently called to my children to come back inside. First my daughter and then my son climbed through the open window and back into my arms. I set them down and closed the window just as a pounding on the front door pulled me back into myself. A person seeing them on the ledge had raced up the steps to warn me. I thanked him and assured him we were alright. Then I closed the door, sat down, and trembled with fear. My heart was pounding and my arms were sha
king. All of the calm that had been given to me was gone and I held my two babies in my arms and cried.
When I finally calmed down again I thanked God for sparing me the worst pain any parent could go through. I felt so blessed and so happy that my children were safe. I didn't even mind when my Dad, who had found out what had happened, called me and chewed me out for my stupidity and carelessness.
This wasn't the last time that God pulled me and my family off the ledge either. We went on to face so many challenges and struggles, yet through our worst times I always felt a certain calmness within. I knew that Our Heavenly Father was watching over us with love.
God loves us all so much. His love and caring are beyond our comprehension. He is always there to help us off the ledge and on to level ground. Accept this love from above then. Share your own love as well. Let God's love live through you each and every day of your life.
Off the Ledge
Today's Bible Verse:
Deuteronomy 3:22 "Do not be afraid of them; the LORD your God himself will fight for you." (NIV)
Off the Ledge
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