Last night, my 4 year old went out this window.
Before everyone can freak out, he is fine. There is not a scratch on him. It's unclear if he fell, or if he jumped, or some weird combination of the two. The thing that makes this even more bewildering is that he managed to do this completely unnoticed.
On the other side of this window is the "playroom". Generally speaking these windows stay locked to avoid my kids taking that kind of a tumble, however I had recently shuffled a little ladybug out that window. My best guess is that when I subsequently closed and locked the window, it was not fully down and as such, appeared to be locked when in fact it was not. Sometime around 7:45pm, Middle Boy realized that the window was open-able, and took an unscheduled trip to the yard. The only reason he was able to do this without rousing the interest of his family, is because accidents have excellent timing. My husband and Oldest were playing a computer game together with head phones on, and I had gone up to change Littlest's diaper before bed time. When the toddler and I came back down stairs, I realized things were awfully quiet. I called for Middle Boy and thought I heard some rustling upstairs, but when a couple of minutes had passed and he had not materialized at the bottom of the stairs, I went up to check. He was not in his room as I had supposed. He wasn't upstairs at all.
That's when I checked the playroom only to find the window open. I stuck my head out but did not see him. Trying to keep the panic at bay, I headed for the door just in time to see my neighbour from two houses over guiding my little Houdini across the lawn. Gasping with relief I flung the door open and she let me know that he had come to their house to ask for help getting back in, because our door was "broken". (Side note: We keep the door locked and the alarm on even when we are home, because Mr. Middle has a history of escaping. He has had a couple of unsupervised "adventures" already.) I thanked the lovely woman for bringing my son safely home and then promptly sent him to his room while I calmed myself. The story, according to the 4 year old, was that he poked his head out to look at the grass and then fell. He tried to get in at the back door, but it was locked and since the doorbell doesn't work, he went across the back yards to the neighbour's to ask them for help.
Why am I broadcasting this major parenting fail? Because it really highlights our need for good community.
"Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety." Proverbs 11:14 ESV
None of us are immune to Life's little (or even not so little) hiccups. We can have tons of things in place to protect ourselves and our loved ones from harm. We can work hard to be good people and cultivate a reputation that is above reproach. But we can never insulate ourselves enough to be completely "safe". We are still susceptible to the effects of mistakes, accidents, and sin, be they our own or someone else's. Good community can help us fix the damage, and in some cases even prevent it. They can catch things we miss, and give us new perspectives that will enable us to better fulfil the purpose God has created us for. Surrounding ourselves with people who are rooting for us, who want good things for us, is a beautiful way to see the Heart of God in action. And to be those people for others? It is our life's calling as followers of Christ.
So, while you are doing what you can to safeguard your life against the effects of mistakes, mishaps, and sin, don't forget to build up a community around you. Find people who are prepared to lift one another up and keep an eye out for potential dangers. Cultivate relationships with people that you trust to edify and admonish. Gather with people who are invested in the good of the Church, with hearts happy to seek out God's best for one another.
You never know when you might need them to help you get home after you fall out the window.
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