As we walked through the mall doors the air was full of the smell of cinnamon buns. We always go through the exact same mall entrance every single time. We even went through this same entrance when we dated. Funny how you tend to get in a rut over silly things like that. Gabe was almost 2 but not quite and Kristina was going on 6. The mall was a scary place back then because kids age 6 and 2 never pay attention to where they are going or where you are going and losing them was always a fear of mine. But, this trip was different because we were going with Shane's family so my worry radar wasn't quite as high on this trip.
After walking around for several hours we all found our way to the arcade. My boys love the arcade and even to this day if they ever find an arcade your trip is over. Kristina and I end up sitting on a bench somewhere chit chatting while the two of them play endlessly until every quarter in their pockets is gone.
The place wasn't that big so the sound of the bells ringing from this game or that game were bouncing off the walls and seemed almost double in volume. There were arcade games in every nook and cranny of this place and even though the walls were painted black the place was lit up like a Christmas tree with all the blinking lights on every single game.
Everyone sort of stood around trying to decide what they were going to do and my first words to everyone was "Watch Gabe!" The arcade was directly across from an escalator and at 2 years old escalators were Gabe's favorite thing. The moment he found an escalator you would spend hours going up and down, up and down and when you finally had enough you would have to pull him away kicking and screaming "Just one more time!"
Kristina had decided to try and win a stuffed animal so I took her by the hand and looked at everyone else and repeated "Watch Gabe!" Back towards the back of the arcade Kristina and I went. After a few failed attempts to win a stuffed animal she was done with the whole arcade thing. She not only wanted to give up on winning her prize she was ready to go home. I took her by the hand and we started walking towards the middle of the arcade. Surrounded by several gaming machines stood Shane and the rest of his family talking. I started looking at each adult and all of their arms were empty. I looked down around their feet trying to locate whose feet Gabe was stepping on to only find out he wasn't playing in the forest of legs.
"Where's Gabe?" I asked.
Everyone stopped, stared at each other and replied "He said he was coming to find you."
"Coming to find me? I don't have him!" I started to panic. "He is only 2 years old! You can't allow him to come find me! You have to take him by the hand and bring him TO ME!" I could feel a lump in my throat start to build and my eyes filled with tears.
"GABE!" I screamed. "GABE!"
I began to hurriedly look around gaming machines walking towards the back of the arcade where I had been yelling the entire time "GABE!" Everyone else just stood in the middle of the arcade as if I had lost my mind. I walked back towards Shane, looked him dead in the eyes and I said "I DON'T HAVE HIM! He is LOST! Find my baby!!!!" At those words it was if it finally clicked with him and everyone else what I was saying. I'm not sure if they didn't fully hear me at first or maybe they were sort of in shock. As I turned my head I saw the escalators. "Shane he is only 2....if he went down those escalators...." Shane turned and within 3 steps he was at the entrance of the arcade. I turned around and continued looking behind things, under things, in between things and yelling the entire time "GABE!"
About that time I turned around and there Shane stood holding Gabe. Gabe had this grin on his face like he had just been on the greatest adventure EVER! I snatched him from Shane's arms and wrapped that baby so tight in my arms I am surprised I didn't break any bones. I sat down in the floor of the arcade, holding him, checking him over and crying.
"Where, where was he?" I said sniffling.
"In the helicopter right there at the door. I was fixing to walk out into the mall when I looked over and saw his reflection in the window. He was just sitting in the helicopter right there playing. He wasn't lost....we were!"
Hebrews 13:8 says "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." He doesn't get lost, we do! He never moves, he never hides, he never turns his back to us. We wander around in the wilderness like a bunch of fools wondering why God has forsaken us. Stop looking under something, in between something or behind something, look in front of you because what you will see is God's reflection in the window because he is standing right beside you. Standing in the same place he has always been standing!
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