No Need for Worry

   A big test of my faith came on the Sunday before the 4^th of July. Al had purchased tickets for an outdoor concert to be held at Greenfield Village in Dearborn that evening and we were looking forward to going with the whole family.

   There would be a picnic on the grass in front of the stage first, followed by a patriotic concert put on by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra along with a touring military band and choir. The plan was to get there early enough to find a place on the lawn close to the stage in order to have good view of the musicians, since our daughter Shanda would be playing with the DSO. The festivities would also include a drum and fife parade, cannons and fireworks at the end of the show.

   It all seemed wonderful, except for the fact that a thunderstorm was predicted at the same time that we would be leaving town. I was reluctant to leave the dogs alone, not wanting them to be afraid if it did start thundering. Sure enough, we were on the way to Shanda’s house when we heard a tremendous boom.

   “Take me home,” I told Al, worried and anxious about Teddy and TJ.

   He reassured me that they would be okay and that the bad weather was going to bypass our neighborhood. Even though a friend had kindly agreed to come over and check on the dogs at a certain point during the evening, I didn’t want to leave them.

   Al was right! After a brief drizzle of rain, the storm clouds were gone. It was hot and muggy at Greenfield Village. How about our neighborhood though? Al kept repeating that the dogs would be just fine, until I finally decided to stop worrying.

   Our neighbor, who is from England, sent us a text after checking in on them: “Both present and correct. Gave them a biscuit each...” When we got home, they were indeed “present and correct,” greeting us with wagging tails and big doggy grins. If God was in control, why did I worry?

   The very next day, Al and I were involved in a freakish accident in the parking lot at a local supermarket—another instance where things were completely out of our hands. As I shared last week, if we hadn’t been standing behind our Ford Escape, one or both of us might have been killed by a woman driver who had become disoriented while trying to find a parking place, stepping down on the accelerator instead of the brake.

   After hitting at least two other cars, her vehicle came toward us at a high speed, scraping the driver’s side from front to back. Although we heard the initial crash, there wasn’t time for us to react and jump away from our car. The impact of the collision sent the two of us as well as our shopping cart flying through the air. The next thing we knew, Al and I were lying on the pavement side by side, with his head in my lap!

   There is no doubt in my mind that God was present and very much in control during that accident. A few seconds later, Al would have been getting into the driver’s seat. It’s scary to think of what might have happened. Even though there were many folks in the parking lot, we were the only ones directly involved and our injuries were relatively minor. Praise God!

   These two experiences, though very different, have helped me grow in faith and hopefully will remind me to trust God more in my daily walk with Him. The knowledge that He is with me gives me strength to face the future with a sense of peace and a smile!

   Dear Father, thank you for being Jehovah-shammah, the Lord ever-present. (Ezekiel 48:35) Forgive us when doubts, fears and worries fill our minds. Please teach us, lead us, guide us into a closer walk with you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me...” Psalm 23:1-5a NIV