City traffic zoomed all around me. I was hemmed in by cars in front and behind.
Two semi-trailers passed me on the three-lane thoroughfare. They kicked up debris. Small pebbles pinged against my windshield. Sheets of water sloshed over my car. My wipers could not keep up. At one point, deep water caused me to hydroplane.
Cars on my bumper made it impossible for me to pull over and wait until the storm calmed. All I could do was slow down and hope the cars behind me braked as well.
How did I get into this predicament?
Don’t Fear the Rain
Once upon my life, I lived next door to a lady who feared the rain. She was so afraid she refused to run errands or do anything outside her home when it rained. Even when it was only a light shower.
Her daughter-in-law came to pick her up one day for a shopping adventure. Frustrated when her mother-in-law bemoaned the weather, she said in an exasperated voice, “We won’t melt!”
I thought of this neighbor when I planned to meet my friend for our shopping adventure.
Cancer and my treatments have caused me tremendous weight loss. I was tired of looking frumpy in clothes two sizes too big.
I was so eager to do something fun. Something that had nothing to do with a doctor’s office. Something that had nothing to do with medical treatments or needles. When my friend offered to meet me for shopping, I jumped at the chance.
Wisdom Waits
Our afternoon was almost ruined when a steady line of spring storms sprang up on radar. Hail tap-danced on the roof. We were wise and waited until the hail blew past.
Half an hour later my friend texted: The storm has cleared at my house. I’ll meet you at the mall.
However, just before I left home, my hubby told me radar suggested another heavy rain squall would probably blow through along my route.
I sighed. “Should I give up on this and stay home?”
“No. You should be all right,” he said. “Just be prepared for it.”
Now here I was in this deluge on the highway. I was feeling pretty foolish for being out at this moment. I cried out to God, “Please protect me!”
God’s Grace
God graciously answered my cry. A few moments later, I drove out of the storm. Clouds scuttled away before me. I pulled into a parking spot at the mall.
Yes. Sometimes it is best to stay home. Or to delay an adventure. But we need to find reasons to live, too. So how do we do both?
Our Father in Heaven knows what we need before we ask.
What fears dictate your decisions? How do you take care of yourself without letting fear rule over you? Tell me your thoughts in the comments below.
Until next time . . . Travel Light,
SuZan
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SuZan Klassen 