Our kids got their first cell phones when they were jr high...ish. Hillary dutifully kept hers unscratched and unbroken for 2 years until it was "upgrade" time and she could get a new one for free. Parker, on the other hand, liked to take his swimming. He once went through 3 phones in one year.
Oh how things have changed...
Now that they are "adults" and we have a different kind of phone plan, they have to pay for their own phones. Hillary got herself an iphone 6, and a few months later, Parker followed suit. This is probably the most expensive thing he has purchased in his 19 years. And since the Otter box wouldn't be in for a few days, he was being extra careful.
Papaw (in his 60's, hardworking, responsible, authority figure) asked to see the new-fangled device. Parker solemnly shook his head. "Sorry, Papaw," he said. "No one holds this phone but me."
Whaaaaat...
He went on, "If you dropped it and it broke....well...I just don't want that to happen."
I wasn't sure whether to dissolve with embarrassment or howl with laughter. I mean, let's just look at the two guys' track records with phones. Papaw never took HIS phone into the swimming pool. Perhaps we should ask Papaw to hold it until the box comes in!
But this is the most expensive thing Parker has ever owned. It's treasure to him. And against all logic, it feels safer in his own hands.
Last night, Parker called to tell me that his throat was hurting. He has a medical condition that causes his esophagus to swell sometimes. He has been doing well for years, but the condition can be very serious.
So I lay in bed later, worrying. I tried to pray, "God, please keep Parker safe."
But I still clutched him firmly in my own hands.
Until God said, "You need to let me hold your phone."
I realized I was doing the same thing Parker had done. Holding one of my treasures stubbornly in my own hands.
"Do you trust me or not?"
"But God, I paid a great price for this child."
"So did I."
I imagined myself handing over my priceless treasure into the safe and secure hands of a trust-worthy God, and I fell asleep.
If only there were Otter boxes for children..... ;)
