Faith In Fiction | Is Mama Missing
At 5:45 on this beautiful Southern California summer morning, Jack awakens, jumps out of his bed and rushes up the stairs. He is excited to start a new day but at three years old, every day is a new adventure. Looking up at the half-moon window, the sun is just starting to peek through. “What a wonderful day to go out and play,” he thinks, “it’s time to wake mama so we can eat breakfast before we go outdoors.”
Running into the master bedroom at the full speed of a three-year-old on a mission, Jack jumps into the king-sized bed but is just as quickly disappointed to find nobody under the fluffy blankets. The bed coverings are smooth and neat so his mama must have gotten up early today. Confused, Jack looks around the room. “Where could she be,” he wonders, “I can’t make my own breakfast.”
A thought strikes Jack and he quickly moves towards the bathroom but finds that door open and the room empty. Certain now that she must be downstairs, Jack runs through the hallway and down the stairs. Wandering through the living room and dining area, he searches for that wonderful lady who feeds him, plays with him and puts him into bed at night. As he walks into the kitchen, he is momentarily distracted by the thought of food. If only he could reach the cupboards and if only he was tall enough to open the refrigerator, he could make breakfast for both of them. His mama is clearly not in the house. Looking out the sliding glass door, he can see that she’s not on their small patio either. Although he struggles to understand why, she is missing.
He wishes that his dad was here because he would know what to do. But he is ‘deployed,’ whatever that means. Before his dad left the house a few weeks ago in his white suit and hat, his father had leaned over and told him that as a navy chaplain, he would be away ‘at sea’ for awhile and to take care of mama while he was gone. To Jack, that was such a silly thing to say. How could a little one like him possibly take care of mama? But he has done his best, making sure that his mother is up early each morning and watching her closely to make sure that she eats meals with him in the morning, at lunch and in the evening. He’s done a great job of taking care of mama, until this morning, that is.
All of a sudden, Jack panics. Will his father be angry at him if his mother is missing? As he looks around the room again, his eyes land on a sign hanging over the couch. Although Jack can’t read, his mother often looks at that sign and reads it out loud,
“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32
His father is the kindest man in the world so certainly he will forgive him if his mother got lost while he was watching out for her. And he knows that his mother loves him so wherever she is, he believes she will return soon.
Not knowing what else to do, Jack crawls onto the couch and waits patiently for what seems like hours. He is home alone, hungry and frightened. It must be nap time by now, he can feel it, as his eyes grow weary and he falls asleep. When he awakens, he looks expectantly around the room for his mama and, realizing she is still not here, he begins to wail with loud, agonizing, painful cries.
Suddenly, the front door opens and he hears the familiar, reassuring voice calling to him, “Jack, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”
Finally, mama is home! Jack races immediately to the door, jumping up into mama’s arms. As his mother holds him tightly, Jack shows his happiness and love by wagging his long, curly tail as fast as he can and licking this beautiful woman’s face over and over.
“Oh, Jack! Are you crying because you’re hungry? I’m sorry your breakfast is late but I went to the mailbox in the front yard to mail a letter to your daddy. Are you crying because you miss him?” As Jack continues wagging and licking, she laughs, “If only dogs could talk! I would love to know what you were thinking for those two minutes that I was outside.”
In dog language, whatever form that may take, Jack smiles broadly, and as any self-respecting dog would do, reminds mama, with a loud bark, that it’s time to eat.
