Pray for protection? Now, I always will.

When I'm home, I like to put Sam to bed @ night. We go through a normal routine, 2 stories (these days Sam's on a Rhyming Bible kick), 2 songs, prayer, and a hug and kiss good-night. I always try to focus during the prayer so that it doesn't become a mindless habit sometimes I get in a rut. One standard is asking God to protect our family.

Until yesterday it seemed kind of silly to pray for protection. We're not engaged in any physically dangerous work. We live in Washington, DC, but in a relatively crime free area in an apartment building amidst multi-million dollar homes. Safety is almost a given. Almost.

Yesterday, after cleaning up from a reception for parents on campus @ AU, the Godzwa family walked to our cars. We drove separately so Levi could finish his nap. I left Jen and the kids at the entrance to the parking lot thinking I would see them in a few minutes at the apartment. I drove home, put some things away, but they never arrived. I wasn't too worried, but I decided to call Jen's cell anyway, just for information. When she picked up I thought she would tell me they stopped for some milk. Instead, Jen told me she had been robbed.

A few minutes after I left the parking lot in our van, Jen was strapping the kids into their car seats. A man came up from behind her, said he had a knife, and demanded money. After rifling through her bag and finding her wallet, he pushed her inside the car, dropped the knife, and ran off. He took the wallet which contained Jen's ID, 2 credit cards and $7 in cash. Jen called 911 immediately and the police arrived within a few minutes. They fingerprinted our car and took the knife for evidence. After I talked to Jen on the phone I quickly called our bank and credit card company to cancel the cards. The thief had already tried to use Jen's card at a liquor store and a gas station where he was photographed. The police said they hope to have him in custody soon.

Except for a small bump on the head and the shock of being robbed, Jen is doing fine and the kids never even knew what was going on. The officer who took the report said they were really lucky. I had to disagree. God protected my family yesterday and I am utterly grateful. As I put Sam to bed tonight, we prayed for the safety of our family. I don't take it for granted anymore.