Who can save me?

"Mom! Mom, help me..." 


Those were the cries of my son in the middle of the night, many years ago.  I vividly remember being in a deep sleep and suddenly waking to a very frightened cry.  I jumped out of bed and went running into his room.  There sat my sweet little Austin, sitting straight up on the top bunk where he slept.


A smile just crossed my face thinking about those bunk beds. My boys shared a room for most of their lives, Dalton on the bottom bunk and Austin on the top. I remember lying in bed at night hearing them talk, giggle, fight.... They loved sharing a room and they loved their bunk beds.


When they went through their pirate stage, they would swing from the ladder yielding swords. In their alien stage, they would turn out the lights and turn on the Christmas lights they had taped to the bottom of Austin's bed (directly above Dalton's head). Often I would find them in that bed together, telling stories and dreaming of UFO invasions.  There was the planetary phase where the ceiling was covered with hundreds of glow in the dark stars and planets.  One time they even pulled the drawers out from under the bottom bunk and Austin hung little christmas lights under the frame of the bottom bed so his brother would have a cave to sleep in.  Dalton would actually sleep in there at night, all the while believing he was actually in a cave, hidden somewhere in the forest.


Their room was always a happy place. It was filled with sea monkeys, at one time, a couple of chinchillas, silk kites from China, Power Rangers and Ninja Turtles. They had a train clock that whistled, Curious George riding a string tight rope, the ugliest cow skull and horns, and collections of bugs; delicately placed behind glass.  Every night my boys would fall asleep listening to Disney Movie soundtracks, Gypsy Kings or Classical Music. Yes, it was a happy room indeed - until the night cries woke me.


I raced into the room and Austin was shaking terribly. "Mom, Mom" (he was sobbing), "There was something evil in my room.  It snarled at me and scared me so bad!"


The poor little guy was scared out of his wits.  I stood on the ladder to his bed, stroked his hair, prayed for him and reassured him that it was only a bad dream and that everything was going to be ok.  He finally calmed down, I put the Gypsy Kings back on (to this day it remains their favorite CD), and he closed his eyes and fell asleep.


The next morning he was recounting this horrifying event to me.  It had really shaken him.  Austin had never been one for bad dreams, so this really bothered him.  After breakfast he forgot all about it and went about his usual tasks of the day.  When the day was finished and every one was in bed, (fast asleep I might add), "Mom! Mom!! Hurry." Austin was crying out even louder than the night before.


Again, as was the case the night before - Austin had been awakened by the monster in his room.  He was so shaken this time that I pulled out the sofa sleeper on the sofa and made a bed where we could lay down together.  He described his terror to me and told me that he didn't feel like it was a dream, that it was real and in his bedroom.  After praying, talking, hugging, he feel fast asleep.  Unfortunately, this went on for 2 more nights. Each night playing out the same as the previous nights.


On the fifth night, I found myself lying in bed, almost waiting for Austin to cry out.  Finally he did, but this time it was different. This time I could just hear him crying and saying , "Mom, come hear."


I got up, went to his room, and there he was - sitting up in bed crying. I asked if he had had the dream again and he said yes.  But this time it went away for good. I asked him why he was still so upset and he looked at me and said, "I was wrong. This thing wouldn't go away because I did it wrong."


"What do you mean you did it wrong?" I asked.


 In a soft little, still rather shaken voice, Austin said,"All the other nights I called out for you to save me, I needed to call out for God to save me.  Tonight I called on God, and He got rid of it for me."


"WOW." Wow was all that I could muster up to say. I was so taken by the words of my son. He was so small, so young, and so scared - yet in his youth he taught me the most incredible lesson. So often we place our faith in man.  We depend on on ourselves, our deeds, our works, our goodness, our self control and our abilities to save us, when in reality it is only God who can do such things.


I have thought back on this episode many times, and I am reminded how the Lord, in all of His goodness, has used my children over the years to teach me. The lesson I received from this incident helped to strip me from my fears because Austin reminded me that nothing can overtake me when I cry out to God to save me!

Who will separate us from the love of Christ?

Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution,

or famine, or peril, or sword?........

But in ALL things we overwhelmingly conquer 

through Him who loved us.  

For I am convinced that neither death,

nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,

nor things present, nor things to come,

nor powers, nor height, nor depth, 

nor any other created thing 

can separate us from the love of God,

which is in Christ Jesus our Lord!

Romans 8:35-39

Austin never did have his nightmares again..... :0) And once again, it became a very happy room to be in.