Why Can't I Go Outside??

        One of my children lives near a city, where there was recently a terrorist attack.
The area was "locked-down", when one of the terrorists was at-large. People in their area were instructed to "shelter in place", meaning to stay in their homes, with doors locked and not to open, except to a uniformed, properly-identified police. In addition, house-to-house searches by police were going on in the neighboring town, very near my son's home. It was a very serious situation, as the terrorists had already attacked a large event, and killed three people, and wounded nearly 200 people seriously, maiming many for life, and targets being people of all ages, children, adults.
Also, the terrorists were armed with assault rifles and lots of explosives, which they had tossed indiscriminately into the street at police.
     These are trying times for us and we are not used to this violence in our streets. My son's family had an additional challenge of caring for two little girls, one a baby and the other an active toddler, during this time. Though it was a warm, sunny day (which was long waited for after an long, cold winter), they had to stay in their house with the doors locked.
     When I, the grandma, called, my nearly 4-year old granddaughter was so energetic and so
wanted to go outside and run and play and use up her boundless energy. She did not understand why she had to stay inside the boring house on such a beautiful day. Her parents did not want to tell her about the terrorists, as it did not seem to be good for small children to be exposed to such frightening things. As parents, we know that, as much as humanly possible, children must be shielded from terrorism and the realities of a frightening, evil world, until they are old and mature enough to be able to comprehend and accept it (somehow, if there is ever such an age).
     Therefore, my son and his wife did not tell my granddaughter the reason that she had to stay inside the house. By phone, I told her to go in the playroom in the basement and jump rope and jumping jacks, hoping it would sound like fun and use up that irrepressible energy. She did not seem overly enthusiastic about it.
     Thankfully, the terrorist was apprehended a few hours later and they are once again free to go outside!
     But how our Heavenly Father must agonize over us, when we want to do things that are not safe, when we can't see the reason. He, who knows everything, including the future and our brokenness and humanity, our weaknesses, must smile in love at us, when we pout over not being able to do something, that He knows may cause us harm. Even though it seems as though it would be fine, He knows the future and behind-the-scenes, and keeps us from ourselves, even though we might pout and scream. So, remember this the next time, the next time, things take an unexpected turn and trust Him...