Good Morning Friends! Mighty Awesome is our God, Monday! Most of you know that my husband and I moved here from California fifteen years ago. I think that for the most part, I have acclimated quite well to my rural Oklahoma life……yep, I can worm and vaccinate sheep with the best, feed the cows, haul hay, clear pastures, load firewood (and I keep a mean fire in the woodstove), a master of tick patrol, stay by myself during a tornado watch, why I can even fry a pretty darn good pan of okra….but there’s one aspect of Oklahoma living that this California native just can’t get mastered…..driving in inclement…..icy……weather! Usually at the first hint of sleet, ice, or snow I hitch a ride to work with my good friend Linda. She lives in Clarita so we hook up in Tupelo; Linda is an expert driver in the worst of conditions! When I realized last Friday, that Linda was off today……I immediately began to panic…..bad weather predicted through the weekend and into Monday…..oh my…..however will I get to work!!! We didn’t have ice in California….I hate it….I’m not good at it…..Oh my what will I do (are you feeling real bad Linda, lol). Well sure enough we had weather…..I checked the weather channel throughout the day yesterday, stewing and fretting about driving in today…..I got up at 5 as usual and looked out the back door….yep….it had snowed or something during the night, didn’t look like much but there was a layer of white. Too early to call inclement weather, but on the dot of 6 am I called our Inclement Weather number for work…..”all offices open on schedule” was the report! At 6:03 am I texted a neighbor that has to be to work in Ada at 6 am. He said the roads were just wet, but be careful of ice on bridges and over passes. Ok, I can do this… I fearfully told myself over and over….as I headed into town I called Cooper’s daddy, he had worked all night and would just be getting home, so I could get an update. Charley said, roads are good, just watch bridge by Owl Creek, little icy! Clenching the steering wheel I proceeded with caution…..saying a little prayer for God’s protection….after just a few minutes….the light in my fearful mind came on……I remembered our talks from last week on being thankful….Then, bravely, feeling less stressed and more confident I said a thank you prayer….Father, thank you for my safe trip to work! And here I am….fear….is the devil’s advocate that’s for sure….and the sure way to fight the devil is by staying hooked up to our Father…..keeping HIM foremost in our hearts and minds all the time…..ceaseless conversation with HIM…..letting go and letting HIM do the driving! Father, forgive me when I fear first…..increase my faith so that I come to YOU first when the roads are icy! Thank you!!!!
But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the fame scorch you. Isaiah 43:1-2. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18. Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe. Proverbs 29-25. The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him. Nahum 1:7.
