DAY 25- ALLISON CHAFFIN GRIFFIN

Day 25 – April 2, 2025

“I have commanded you to be brave and strong, haven’t I?  Do not be alarmed or terrified because the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9

I teach kindergarten in Limestone County at Creekside Primary School. Each classroom has a Safe Defend box that is opened by the teacher’s fingerprint in case there is an intruder. The Safe Defend company comes twice a year for us to have an intruder drill to make sure all of the safety systems in place are working. There are a lot of things we do during an “intruder drill” that can be very scary to my 5 and 6-year-olds. It takes lots of reassurance that “bad guys” cannot get through all the locked doors in our school, they cannot see through the blocked windows and Mrs. Griffin’s main job is to keep everyone safe. During the drill, we have to hide in our dark classroom with a strobe flashlight flashing. We usually go through the Safe Defend bag which has items like a baton, a trauma kit, and pepper spray (which one of my students called “Dr. Pepper spray for the bad guy’s face” lol). It is my job to make sure no one is scared, no tears are shed and they all feel safe. Usually, it is successful and my students ask me when we get to practice again.

A few weeks ago after a drill at my school, I picked up my 13-year-old Walt from soccer practice. The first thing he said was, “Mommy, we had a Safe Defend drill, except the teacher forgot to tell us that it was a drill.” Walt is not easily alarmed, but this time I could tell he was definitely a little scared during the drill and so were his friends. It was still on his mind hours later. I went into “Teacher Mommy” mode on the way home to reassure him like I do my students…if there was an intruder then all the doors stay locked, he has Safe Defend boxes in his classrooms with safety items just like mine and all of his teachers will keep him safe! The part I forgot that afternoon was the most important reassurance as a “Christian Mommy” – God will be with you and don’t forget to say a prayer.  

At Walt’s bedtime, we always read a boy’s devotional book together. The devotion that night was “What’s Left to Worry About” and started with Joshua 1:9.  It talked all about God being with us all the time and reminded us not to be worried because “God’s got this”! God handpicked the perfect devotion that night for my sweet little boy and it was a great reminder to me as well!  The next night’s devotion was Isaiah 41:10, “Don’t fear, because I am with you; don’t be afraid, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, I will surely help you; I will hold you with my righteous strong hand.”  What great reminders that I forgot to use in my teacher mode on the way home, but He knew we needed them! These were two great verses for us to always remember during the scary parts of our lives, even if the scary time ends up just being a drill.

– Allison Chaffin Griffin

Prayer: Father God, our world can seem like a wilderness. Sometimes, the drills in our life can give us more fear than ease. Be with us in all of our scary situations, Lord, and help us remember that you are always with us. Amen.