The Surprise Ride

As Mom adjusted the rearview mirror, she caught a glimpse of Braden's worried face. "Is everything all right?" she asked.

"I'm afraid to go to the dentist, Mom," Braden moaned. "It's making my stomach hurt."

"I'm sorry, honey," said Mom. "You always liked Dr. Kent, and I'm sure you'll like Dr. Johar too. But I understand going someplace new can be scary. There have been times I've had butterflies in my stomach too."

"Butterflies?" Braden asked. "It feels more like a herd of elephants!"

Mom laughed. "Or a whole zoo? Like all the animals we saw when Dad took us on one of his surprise rides and we ended up at the zoo last week?"

Braden smiled as he thought of the trip to the city zoo. "Dad likes to surprise us, doesn't he?"

"He sure does, and neither one of us had a clue where he was taking us," said Mom. "Were you afraid?"

"Of course not!" Braden replied. "I trust Dad. He always takes us on the best surprise rides!"

"Yes--and what if I told you this trip to the dentist is like one of the surprise rides Dad takes us on?" Mom asked. "Think of Jesus as our driver, and just like you had to trust Dad, you need to trust Jesus."

"But Dad always takes us to fun places," said Braden. "Going to the dentist isn't fun."

"Not all the places Dad takes us are fun at first," said Mom, "but they're good places to go. Like the time he took us to the nursing home."

"Yeah, I was a little nervous at first," Braden said. "But I enjoyed meeting and talking with some of the people who lived there."

Mom nodded. "With God, we don't know what's going to happen either, but we need to trust Him. His plan is perfect, even when things are difficult or scary, and Jesus promises to always be with us. A verse I think of when I'm afraid is Psalm 56:3: Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.'" Mom winked at Braden. "So, what do you say we leave those elephants in the zoo and go to Jesus right now?"

"Okay," said Braden. "I'll ask Him to help me remember He's with me." Tammy Lash