Snowed in this morning and reflecting on many things. I’m so glad the Lord has enabled me to be teachable and receive sound advice. I’m also so grateful for Holy Spirit examination of my heart, thoughts and motives. Trust me, the struggle is so real. Let me begin by talking about fear. It’s something every person deals with at some level. While I do pretty well with most fears, I do see two areas I need to surrender to the Lord and trust God. I’ll talk about one in this blog.

Two days ago, I was pretty stunned when our son got off work. One of his close friends, I’ll call him “C”, face timed him telling him to pack his gear. With the big snow coming, it was the perfect time to go snowboarding. I just have to shake my head at these guys sometimes. They’ve been friends a long time. They’ve been to the Philippines for 6 weeks on a mission trip back in high school. They spontaneously moved to Arizona years ago to help a friend with his business, then tent camped at national parks across the USA on their trip back East. There was a fatal waterfall hike five years ago, when a group of friends hiked a huge waterfall. One never came home. Let’s just say, this momma has been through an emotional “wringer” more times than I can count.

Since our son is an only child, we’ve always opened our home to his friends. I remember during high school and shortly after, we would have several cars in the driveway with friends spending the night. I used to joke to my husband Ron, that we needed a sign in the yard “Hinson Inn ~ No vacancies “, drive on. We are thankful for them all though.

Back to my story….. “C’ told Joshua he would pick him up on Saturday (yesterday) to head to the mountains. I checked the weather and it did not look good to me. We woke up to snow on the ground and it snowed and it snowed and it snowed…… I told Ron, “Surely they won’t go.” An hour before “C” was to arrive, he walked in early, ready to go. Inside I was like, “seriously?” Authorities were saying stay off the roads. “C” said he had no trouble coming from the farm that was over an hour away, driving a heavy duty truck with four wheel drive. I looked at Ron in disbelief. Of course, Joshua was all excited These friends like adventures. “C” is a licensed pilot and with the added National Guard role, nothing seems to faze him. (But this Momma gets disturbed 🙃) I looked at Ron and big tears just spilled out of my eyes. The guys did not see them. I wiped them away quickly before they could notice.

I texted some friends and asked them to cover the guys in prayer as they went on with their plans. One friend prayed that I would not project fear into the future over my son because God covered him. I needed to trust God. How do you tame “Mother Bear?” Pray, pray and pray some more. My friend Lauren said, “ Shannon trust the process. You know he’s covered and protected so tell your motherly instincts to behave.” Yep, I surely needed to take those thoughts and emotions captive. My group of friends prayed and the guys arrived at their destination safely without issue. Praise God! Why do I doubt?

This morning a devotion I read during my quiet time hit me in my spirit. The interesting thing, I somehow missed this particular devotion but God knew I needed it today. It was in a nutshell about our reactions, thoughts, fears. One of the key verses was Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭2‬, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (NLT‬‬) I never made the connection with my emotional response to fear as being influenced by the world, but it is. My fears are shaped by a fleshly perspective and influenced by the world. But Lord!!!!! You know all the unfavorable doctor’s reports! You know all the “close calls”!!! What do I do with these fears? God’s gently but firmly spoke into my hear, “TRUST ME!”. Me, “But how?” Philippians 4:6-7 came to mind. “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” (NLT‬‬) And so I pray and remember to thank God while navigating “Mother bear” emotions.

The beauty of a relationship with Jesus is He gently points out things to work on and doesn’t leave you to figure it out on your own. Until the day we die, He will guide us when we surrender. James 4:8 says, “Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.” (NLT‬‬) We need to draw near to God. Seek Him out in prayer, worship and scripture. Be still and let the Holy Spirit examine our hearts. Repent of sins. Yes, we all sin and fall short. We do serve a God full of grace and mercy. We are a work in progress.

Why am I sharing such deep things? My friend Amy sent me a very encouraging note last night and it was about sharing your story (which I have published in 2021 “Rooted by the Water” that you can find on Amazon) I can also do this through blogging. Something that really stuck me in her encouraging message was “Publish the Altar”. When we share our testimonies, our struggles and how God helps us overcome those struggles, we are in a sense inviting others to surrender to God and allow Him to work through their issues too. I’ve been a Christian a long time, an author and blogger for five years. I share my testimonies and vulnerable moments in life to encourage YOU and give glory to God. Reveloation 12;11 says, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” (NKJV‬‬) Keep keeping on! Surrender the anxieties and fears to God. He’s helping me and He will help you too! Much love and prayers! Be a blessing!!

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