Answered Prayer

This video clip is from yesterday.  I've been praying and asking God to help Ethan get over his fear of our neighbor's dog.  Since the first week of December he has not gone outside to play.  He was scared when the big dog accidentally got out of the fence and came into our yard.  Ethan has always loved dogs, but that incident really made him fearful of that dog and going outside.

I've tried so many things to help him get over his fear.  It has been over a month of trying to help him through this, and I've just felt my creative juices running low.  I know how Ethan doesn't forget things like that, and a part of me was wondering if he would ever get over it!  I've been praying so much lately asking God to help me know how to help him.  Yesterday I believe God answered those prayers.   A book that Ethan likes gave me the start of the idea.  It is a Berenstain Bears book called The Bears Picnic.  I decided to really play up going on a picnic in the back yard.  I packed our lunches in the kids lunch boxes.  My kids were SO excited as they watched me pack pickles, sandwiches, etc in ziploc bags.  The more I talked about going on a picnic the more excited they got.  I was thrilled!  Ethan was saying "yes" to wanting to go out and have this picnic!  Ethan grabbed the lunch boxes off the counter, and even opened the door.  He got as far as the front steps of the porch, and ran back to the door crying the whole way :(  I was sad that AGAIN Ethan would NOT join us.  I helped him from porch to the picnic blanket 4 times and tried making it fun by bringing him in a wagon.  Every time I played things up making a big deal out of how they can pick what food they want from their lunch box, how we'll read his picnic book, and so on.  But as soon as Ethan got to the blanket he would start screaming and hysterically crying "mean dog" and running for the house.  Both Jon and I have put much effort into trying to help him get over this fear.  We've talked to him, prayed with him, done a lot of playing outside with Madison to show Ethan all the fun we are having, and more!  So I was sad when another attempt had not worked.  I prayed and finished having a great picnic with the girls.  We packed things up and went inside to Ethan.  I could tell Ethan really wanted to be with us, and he was upset about the whole thing.  I took his lunch bag put it on the table, and he enjoyed his lunch.

The Lord brought something to mind then, and I started talking to Ethan.  I talked about how much fun we had, and how Sissy had fun and was being NICE to the dog on the other side of our fence :)  I told him that his attitude was not right, and that he was being mean to that dog, and that he was not being kind to him.  For some reason that really struck a cord in his heart, and I could see it on his face.  He had always called the dog mean, but never thought of the fact that HE was being mean to the dog!  (NOTE:  I'm not sure I had ever thought of it that way either!  Mainly because that dog is huge and somewhat territorial.  However I did feel as though Ethan's behavior could be categorized as mean.)  Starting to think about the dog instead of himself, and realizing how his screaming and crying was actually being mean to the dog is what helped him move a little farther away from his fear.

After that I took some hot dogs out of the freezer, and asked him if he would like to be kind to the dog and give him some treats.  Right away Ethan said "YES!"  He really didn't want to be unkind to that dog, and I could tell he felt bad about it!  When Jon got home I told him about the hot dogs, and we talked to Ethan again.  Sure enough Ethan went outside with Daddy and gave 2 hot dogs to the dog!!!!  And then for the first time in 5 weeks he went swinging on the playhouse swing which is something he loves to do.  Now he can FINALLY enjoy his swing, play house, and outside toys again!  Praise the Lord!  Throughout this process II Timothy 1:7 has been on my mind.  It says, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." Ethan's fear may seem small, but fears start small and grow big.  It is a good reminder to me that God gives us the power to overcome our fears, His great love, and a sound mind that is not controlled by our fears.