The Legend of the Shopping Cart....

Once upon a time my family and I were in Boston. We had flown all night and we were attending a free art gallery. The time was around 9 and the streets were dark. We heard over the radio that the Red Sox had just won the world series!! We knew it would be a celebratory and dangerous night in Boston so we hurried out to the car to head to the hotel. We were stopped by a homeless man with a shopping cart that was seeking for money. We honestly said we did not have any but wished him a good night. As we walked to our car we started to hear the clicking of the shopping cart going over the cracks on the sidewalk. We started to walk a little faster and the clicks became more persistent and loud. We broke into a run as we heard the shopping cart racing towards us! My dad pulled out the keys to the car and tried to unlock it . . . only to realize it was the keys to our car in Salt Lake. He quickly grabbed the next set of keys unlocked his door and climbed in. He may or may not have left us outside the car alone for a time before he realized we were still locked out!! We finally all jumped in the car and drove away. Hearts thumping and breath heavy we escaped the shopping cart!!
This is still one of my favorite memories from our vacations. We had a thrilling escape and we learned a lot of great principles! We learned to always be prepared with the proper keys in case of danger, we learned that perhaps my dad was not the best to rescue us in this moment, and we also learned that we need to be in safe situations always. We didn't know that that gallery could become a dangerous location but it quickly turned into a not so pleasant spot.
How often does that happen in our lives? We enter a scene that seems harmless and safe and turns quickly into a scenario of temptation and fear. That might mean going to parties, looking something up online, or being around a not so great group of friends. We have to learn to have the proper precautions and preparation to be safe. As we make decisions now on how we will live our life, we can better be prepared to face the challenges of tomorrow. I am grateful that I have always been taught to only be in the safest of situations and to be fully prepared to make an escape as necessary. How have you prepared yourself for escapes in both physically and spiritually damaging situations?