Lock Down

Last week I was up at the school one morning for a PTA board meeting. When I arrived there were four police cars pulling into the parking lot at the same time. Considering it was only 8:45, I thought this was odd. I went inside, signed in, and went on to my meeting. At that point even though there were several officers, nothing seemed tense or unusual. However, within a few minutes, the school secretary comes into where we are meeting and announces that we must come with her immediately for a lock down drill. We all went into the nurses office along with everyone else from the front office, turned off all the lights and computer screen and had to be completely silent. Even though it was only a drill, I was unexpectedly anxious. All I could think about was what if this was real and wondering if my kids were scared even though it was only a drill or if this was just "ho-hum" routine stuff to them. The drill lasted about five minutes at which time one of the officers knocked on our door to let the principal (who was in with us) know that the drill was over.

Later that day, I kept thinking about the drill and wondering why it had upset me so. I finally figured out why - it's the one drill our children practice that is rooted in pure evil. If a fire were to occur, there would be a few tense minutes until everyone was out, but then the immediate danger would mostly be over. For a tornado, there is at least some warning at the beginning of the day for the possibility of severe storms. However, a lock down only occurs for one reason - somebody is trying to do evil. Whether directly in the way of actually entering the school to do harm, or indirectly by commiting a crime in the neighborhood of the school. When I was in the drill imagining what if it was real, all sorts of thoughts ran through my head. Since my kids are on opposite ends of the school, would one be safe and the other not? All I wanted to do was run out of that room and grab my kids and head to safety. It was hard knowing that I was in the same building as them and yet I couldn't protect them. After school, I asked my kids where they go for the drill. My younger one goes into a walk in coat closet with another class. We're talking 40-45 kids! My older son was actually in the process of switching classes when the drill began. They were instructed to drop their backpacks and RUN into the classroom where there is a closet/loft area. And yes, to them it was just "ho-hum" routine. Barely a distant memory by the time they got home from school. But for me, the images of the "what if's" will serve as yet another reminder that my kids are not truly my own, they are just on loan to me. And the job of Protector? Well, that is ultimately the Lord's responsibility.