OK, It's Safe to Cross Now
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,
for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4)
Early mornings near my home are fairly busy, as there are two schools both within a few blocks, one an elementary school, the other, the junior high where my autistic son attends.
We live on a corner and we frequently see both lines of cars and buses and droves of students on bikes and on foot walking down the street, specifically to the junior high. Since I usually walk the dog about the time everyone is frantically trying to make it there on time, I get an up close view of all of the daily activity.
Recently I was walking the dog on just such a morning when, as I was crossing the street to get to the park, I noticed a couple of girls from the junior high standing on the corner waiting. I normally might not have cared, but being both a parent and a former teacher, my antennae go up when I see adolescents just standing around. My brain goes to concerning thoughts related to bad behavior, like are they up to something, is there some concerning reason why they would just be standing there, why are they standing on that corner after all?
I walked down the block to the point I normally go to with the dog, and when I came back I noticed they were still standing there, but this time I kept an eye on them as I started to cross the street back to my block. However this time I also noticed a special needs student from my son’s classroom walking down the street heading towards school as well. To my sheer amazement, the two girls, who my imagination let me go crazy with ideas of suspicion, now acknowledged the girl as she was walking. The girl, who my son has attended school with since kindergarten and who’s family we know well, was apparently friends with the two girls standing on the corner. And then, I was truly blown away, as I heard one of the girls tell my son’s classmate, “Its ok to cross now, you can walk over.” The girls weren’t up to no good, they were actually waiting for the other girl and then watching the street so that she could cross it safely.
This was a small but profound event at the beginning of my day that I couldn’t explain, but made me, as a special needs parent, feel so good about the school my son attends and the community we live in.
In the same way, I was reminded of how that small experience mimics our relationship with God, how so many times we find ourselves walking, seemingly alone through life, and frequently coming up to a place of potential danger. But somehow we have a protector waiting for us on the other side, watching us, guiding us, and speaking to us about the times when it is safe to cross, and sometimes using the most unlikeliest of crossing guards.
Written by John Felageller
