“Hey, guys! Having fun?”
“Yeah! Yeah! This is great!”
“Ok, I think…” Uh oh. I gasped when I saw there was no foothold to go back down the cliff that the cub scouts and I, their responsible den leader, were climbing. It was supposed to be a simple hike up the hill. Boys like that, right?
“Well, guys, we went a little further than I expected and we need to finish our hike. You see that fence above us on top of the rocks we’re on? When you get up there, grab hold of the fence and go hand over hand to the side. From there we’ll be able to get to the road on top. Ok?”
“Sure, Mrs. Reed. This is a blast!”
Yeah, a blast. My tongue was dry. No sooner did the first boys reach the fence than the guard dogs who lived there starting running and barking. I prayed.
Suddenly the boy right in front of me stumbled and lost his footing and fell right back into me. Gulping, I caught him and reset his hands and feet into the rocks as well as my own.
Oh, God, please help us. Get them all to safety. Don’t let them tell their parents where they were today!
The adrenalin pumped and breathing came heavily as I counted each boy climbing over the top rock and grasping the fence, in spite of the barking dogs. Omigosh!
Everybody made it safely. Hand over hand around the stranger’s back yard and to the road and back down to my house. The boys thought it was a grand adventure. Their parents still don’t know where they were. I’m grateful that my God heard my prayer. He upheld us in our stumbling.
“If the Lord delights in a man’s way, He makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with His hand” Psalm 37: 23,24
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