Max Lucado, In His Book, Applause From Heaven, ...

Max Lucado, in his book, Applause From Heaven, tells the story of the time when his 3 year old daughter, Jenna, awoke him in the middle of the night. He said that he tried to stay asleep but her insistent, "Daddy" wouldn’t allow him to stay in slumber. He writes, "I opened one eye. Andrea was at the edge of my bed only a few inches from my face. `Daddy, I’m scared.’ I opened the other eye and saw the clock, 1 am in the morning. `What’s wrong, Andrea?’ `I need a fwashwight in my woom.’ `You need what?’ `I need a fwashwight in my woom.’ I was awake now, `Why do you need a fwash- uh, flashlight in your room?’ `Cause it’s dark.’ I told her the night light was on, the hall light was on. `But Daddy,’ she objected, ’what if I open my eyes and can’t see anything?" `Say that again?’ `What if I open my eyes and can’t see anything?’ Just as I was about to tell her that this was not the best time to have a discussion on why people are blind, my wife interrupted. She explained that there had been a power failure around midnight and Andrea must have awakened in the dark. No night light, no hall light. She had opened her eyes and had been unable to see anything. Just darkness. She had apparently stayed in her room, frightened, until the lights had come back on in order to make it to her Daddy." Even the hardest of hearts and the sleepiest of parents would be touched by the thought of a child waking up in a darkness so black that they couldn’t find their way out of their room. So, Lucado did what any good father would do. He climbed out of bed, picked Andrea up, got a flashlight out of the utility room, and carried her to her bed. All the while, telling her that Mom and Dad were there to help her if she got scared again.