My family spent a fun week camping at my brother’s-swimming in the pool, fishing and tubing on Lake Erie, and visiting Kelly’s Island. My nephew Ben participated in every activity. Because of this, I learned a few simple lessons. Ben took his floatie off in water over his head so he could try swimming to his mom and grandma.
Lesson 1-It’s okay to trust when you’re surrounded by love and protection. He climbed right onto the inner tube in the middle of Lake Erie knowing his Uncle Bob would drive the boat slow so he wouldn’t fall in.
Lesson 2-You don’t have to be afraid when you’re in good hands. Ben fell asleep beside me sitting on the bow of our moving boat.
Lesson 3-You can rest when you know someone is watching over you.
These lessons can apply to all areas of our lives.
Lesson 1-It’s okay to trust when you’re surrounded by love and protection. We don’t have to let the trials of life overtake us. When we’re in over our heads, we can choose to trust God. “God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble.” (Psalm 46:1, CSB)
Lesson 2-You don’t have to be afraid when you’re in good hands. There are so many things in this life that can make us afraid. But we are safe with God. “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10, CSB)
Lesson 3-You can rest when you know someone is watching over you. It’s hard to feel peace when troubles pull us down. But we don’t have to face one day alone. “The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” (Psalm 121:8 NIV) Questions? See a 4 year-old for answers.
Things to do today:
- Learn something new today.
- Read a similar blog called ‘That’s a Promise’ and listen to songs ‘More Than You Think I Am’ and ‘Your Love Defends Me.’
The children’s’ song “Rain, Rain Go Away” is appropriate for my area of the country. Heavy and continual storms lingered for days, leaving roads closed, fields underwater, and rivers pushing over their banks. Persistent gray skies affect the temperament of everyone. There’s an attitude that sneaks in and causes us to want to hide under the covers until the storms pass. After all, who wants to face another day of running through the rain or fight yet another losing battle with a windblown umbrella? Watching the rain fly by my window makes me think it will never end. Fortunately, we all know the sun will shine again.
My class walked to the library early this morning in a light rain with warm air. Since we weren’t dealing with a cold wind and pelting, unforgiving rain, it was a bit of an adventure. About an hour later, however, everything changed. The next class walked in a thick fog with significantly colder air. That walk to the library wasn’t enjoyable; we put our heads down and marched determinedly on. Thankfully, the cool and damp air was soon forgotten in the light and warmth of the library.
One of my closest friends just retired this week from the United States Army. Her career started as an inexperienced Second Lieutenant and peaked as a Colonel, and reflecting on its entirety, I couldn’t be more proud. Her combat boots saw action in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Bosnia. In the United States, those boots touched numerous military bases, including the headquarters of the Department of Defense, the Pentagon itself. But as of this week, her life is about to change. Drastically. She must have dozens of questions: What will I do? Where will I go? What’s next?
Sometimes it seems like everyone I know is fighting a battle. Most of the battles are fierce, knock-down, and drawn-out fights. I have a friend who is battling a rare form of cancer, one who is caring for an ailing mother, and another one who is grieving the loss of a parent. Unfortunately, there are so many others who are stressed in one way or another. Within these struggles, we can feel lonely; no one really understands our heartache, our worry, our pain. Sometimes we feel like we are standing alone on the battlefield and the enemy before us is too big. That’s simply not true. We are never going into any battle alone. Ever.
For a little while today I had my own personal superhero. (I can actually feel you getting jealous and all I can say is, “na-na na-na boo boo.“) Picture this: a 3′ tall superhero dressed in a padded Spiderman suit (surprisingly accessorized with a bright, red Superman cape). My 3 year-old nephew Benjamin played the role well, appearing from the corner of the room whenever a cry for help was sounded. He went immediately to the imaginary ‘bad guys’ and pushed them away. With each rescue, I heard, “And don’t come back bad guys!” After taking care of the situation, he strutted to the corner with his muscles bulging and waited patiently for the next cry of distress.
I believe in angels. One of the reasons I believe is related to the car accident I had about 8 years ago. Most of that night remains a blur; I didn’t hear the sirens of the ambulance, the State Highway Patrol, or the sheriff’s car that arrived at the scene. But there are 3 comments I distinctly remember. From the patrol officer on duty, “I can’t believe I am getting to talk to you. We always get called out for fatalities on that road.” The Emergency Room doctor said, “You must have someone watching over you.” Lastly, the EMT driving the ambulance, “You must have angels watching over you.” Psalm 91:11-12 agrees, “For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” 
I’m thankful I live in the ‘Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.’ The privileges we get from living in the United States far outweigh the number of challenges we face. I can’t help thinking about all the men and women who sacrificed their time, their families, and sometimes their lives to allow us to live in peace in this great country of ours. ‘American Soldier,’ Toby Keith’s song expressing the thoughts of the military, may say it best. “Beside my brothers and my sisters I will proudly take a stand… I’m out here on the front lines, so you can sleep in peace tonight…” With a grateful heart, I say thank you to the military for defending and protecting the United States so we can live in peace.
I am fortunate to drive a car that is very reliable, 99% of the time. One Saturday it didn’t start when I was headed to a toddler’s birthday party. That’s bad timing! I called a towing company and they arrived three hours later. They determined it was just a dead battery, so they jumped it and off they went. I left immediately for a late arrival to the party but had to stop for gas and the battery instantly died there. Can you guess what happened the next place I went? (If you guessed dead battery, you get the prize today. It’s found in the next paragraph so keep reading). The car was eventually taken into the shop where it received a whole new battery. Not having a faithful car, (for even just a day), led to one disappointment after another.