"The Lord is my light and my salvation-so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?" -Psalm 27:1
When I was pregnant with my son, the first of four, my parents took our whole family to spend a week at Glacier National Park in Montana. I had put on 100 pounds and was 8+ months pregnant. It was the end of July and it was hot. We crammed 8 adults into a Yukon Denali and drove the 20 or so hours from Iowa to Montana...stopping more frequently than wanted to accommodate the pregnant lady.
A couple of days into our stay, we went on a family hike up the mountain. Now, I am a very stubborn and determined girl (probably even more so when I am pregnant), and I refused to be left behind with my feet up. So...we all went. About eight miles up the mountain, I had gone about as far as my body could take. My mom being the worry wart and extremely selfless person that she is turned around with me while the others continued on.
When we got to the bottom of the mountain, we stopped in front of the chalet to soak our feet in the lake. It was about 100 degrees that day so the water felt great to relax and the view was amazing. We enjoyed our conversation while a family swam next to us and 20-30 tourists with binoculars stood at the side of a dirt road watching for bears up the mountainside.
Pretty soon, the mother of the kids next to us starting speaking loudly in a foreign language and all of them scurried up to the chalet. Interesting, but we paid no mind and continued enjoying our paradise. A few minutes later a gal in her twenties with a camera around her neck walked briskly by and said, "You really ought to be more careful," as she passed. Hmmmm...we looked at each other dumbfounded. Careful of what? We could see the bears meandering around about halfway up the mountain and we were well away from the road.
That's when we looked out at the lake. Nothing jumps fear into the heart quicker than looking out at a lake of glass and seeing two black eyes, a long nose, and brown, fuzzy ears 15 feet away coming at you like a shark fin. A pregnant lady has never moved so fast! My mom and I had time to grab our shoes and get up the five feet of rock by the lake and the 500 lb. grizzly was shaking water off of him right where we were sitting.
Fortunately, a ranger happened upon him (and us) at that moment and the proper people chased him safely up the mountain. We returned safely to the balcony of the chalet where (out of sight from us at the lake) hundreds of people had been watching the grizzly swim and the ranger had been ready for him. (No doubt the crazy pregnant lady and her mother are on a youtube video I don't know about.)
Did we feel foolish? Of course. Were we thankful for coming out of it unharmed? Of course. Does it make a great story to tell? YES!
Especially because I think we all can relate.
In our lives, every day, there are grizzly bears coming after us. People and things that will harm us and cause us pain. So many times, we miss the warnings and end up in a place no one would want to be. Hurt...scared...panicking.
But God waits for us...patiently knowing that we need him. In these moments of fear when we are under attack, we only need to turn to the one who can give us shelter and safety...the one who knows our pain, and we need not be afraid.
Wherever you are in life. Whatever big or small things cause you anxiety and fear...seek shelter in the God who loves you and can keep you safe from harm.
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