"Don't Worry, I Got This Mom!"

It's hard being on the outside of the bus. Really hard. Today, I was on the outside of the bus and Wolffe, my 9-year-old, was on the inside excited about the week ahead of him at Camp Good News. A week without parents, just Wolffe and 287 other excited kids and 6 members of the CM staff of The Woodlands United Methodist Church. A week where Wolffe is without Mom and Mom is without Wolffe. I am not going to lie - I cried. As the buses pulled away, I said a prayer for Wolffe and the campers and then, I pulled away in tears. It's not the first time Wolffe has gone to camp, but it's the first time I wasn't going with him. I have no doubt that he is safe. He is in good hands. The CM staff at TWUMC are family to us so I wasn't worried about that. I have no doubt he is having fun. I've been there - it is nothing but fun! I have no doubt he will leave camp changed. God is doing awesome things this week. Bet on it. So...what's my problem? I keep thinking about our conversation in the car this morning: 

Me: "I'm going to miss you. Like REALLY miss you. Like REALLY REALLY REALLY miss you."

Wolffe: "I know, Mom. I'm going to miss you, too, but don't worry, I've got this!"

Me: "What do you mean?"

Wolffe: "I am going to miss you, but I know I am going to have so much fun that it won't be so bad. I also know you will be ok."

Me: "How do you know that?"

Wolffe: "Because I prayed for you this morning. And I will pray everyday that I am at camp. God's going to take care of you."

"I prayed for you this morning." Those words keep running through my head...and my heart. My son is praying for me. Wow. He is praying for me. This child that I pray for each and every day is praying for me. This really isn't new. I have heard Wolffe pray for me before during bedtime prayers. In fact, I hear it every night. What is new, was that I wasn't there. I didn't hear it. He was on his own and I was...on the outside of the bus. And, to be honest with you, as hard as it is to be on the outside - it's also a wonderful feeling! Proverbs 22:6 tells us "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." As my child gets older, it is becoming more and more evident that all those years of "training" are sticking. Despite sometimes feeling like he isn't listening - he really is. He is listening, soaking it all in and, following the path God has set for him. Yes, he will make mistakes, but he is listening. He is learning. He is making choice. Choices only he can make. Yes, I'm on the outside of the bus, but that's ok because his Father is on the inside.