I’ll never forget the day my youngest daughter, Savannah, got lost at the zoo. She was in the summer program with some of the students from her kindergarten class, and each week they would go on a field trip to a different place that was educational and fun. The zoo was the field trip of choice for their first trip.

All of the parents were to pick up the kids at the school cafeteria on this particular day and I remember being there early, just in case the bus arrived early. I was excited to hear about Savannah’s first trip, and to be honest, I missed her because I wasn’t really used to her being anywhere without me.

Before I tell you what happened that day, let me just say that I have never been a perfect mother but I have always tried to do everything I could to give my kids what they needed when they needed it. Being a single mom has never been easy, but being able to send your kids in field trips and seeing their faces when they get to do something fun is priceless to any mother. All I wanted to do was see Savannah’s face that day!

I waited at the school about fifteen or twenty minutes before the bus arrived, and, as I kept my eye out for Savannah while the kids flowed in through the doors, I caught her teacher’s eye. She came up to me crying and said she lost Savannah at the zoo. I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared in my life.

After the teacher told me that Savannah was in line to get on the bus and had been accounted for, she said that Savannah somehow slipped out of line and never got on the bus. My first instinct was to get to the zoo and go search for my daughter myself. What if she had been kidnapped? What if she was at the zoo, crying for her mama? I had so many things running through my mind and I was at a loss for words.

The moment that I was going to run to my car, Savannah ran through the doors of the cafeteria with another student’s parent. She hugged me so tight and said she was sorry for taking off to go get a drink of water. The other parent said she saw the bus drive off and Savannah running behind it, so she grabbed Savannah up and drove her back to school. What a relief!

Although I loved on Savannah more than normal that day, I was still angry with her for running off. She knew the rules and disobeyed them. She also had to have a chaperone for future field trips, something I couldn’t do because I had to work.

We do that a lot too, don’t we? We disobey God’s directions to please the flesh. I know I do. “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24). We know right from wrong and still choose to do wrong. The things that God calls sin we call fun and exciting, fulfilling and pleasing.

I once was lost and now I am found because God sought me out and was ready to save me. “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” (Romans 8:20-21). When my Father grabbed me up and took me into His arms, He did it willingly. He did it because He wanted to see the happiness on my face, and He wanted to hear me sing on the rooftops in praise for my salvation.

When I saw His face, I said I was sorry for my disobedience, and I hugged Him so tight and didn’t want to let Him go. What is salvation like for you? Are you like Isaiah, singing songs with instruments and praise? How can we not be? We are so abundantly blessed to have a Father who loves us. You are so loved, friend. I pray for you daily and my prayer is that I’ll get to spend eternity with you as my sister! Praise be to God!