“Mom, I’m really going to miss you,” Olivia said as she looked up at me, her bright blue eyes welling with tears. Olivia was going to a spend-the-night party full of cheese dip, movies, family games, and everything else that comes along with turning eight. I should also mention the party was five houses away from us.
“Sweetie, you know you don’t have to go,” I said. “But I think you’ll have fun, and you can always come home. You can see our bedroom window from Alice’s! I think you’re going to get there and have a great time.”
As much as I wanted to keep her safe and warm in our own house, I knew how important it was for her to learn to do hard things on her own when her parents were really only seconds away. It’s my job to encourage her, build her confidence, and convince her that the world outside isn’t scary; it’s hers to explore.
I often think of how God might’ve liked to keep us all safe and tight in heaven, singing praises and crying no tears. But instead He chose to send us out into the world. I knew God didn’t want me or Olivia to be stuck in fear. I would always give her a safe place to call home and also the encouragement she needed to soar.
Olivia ended up going to the sleepover; in fact, she didn’t want to come home! She proved to herself what I already knew: It’s okay to be scared of new things, but try them anyway, especially when your team is cheering you on.
Dear Lord, thank You for giving me a strong foundation so that I can spread my wings to soar.
—Ashley Kappel
