“Are you going to warm up the car?” My eight-year-old calls while scrambling to put on shoes, eat breakfast, slide on her scarf before running out the door.
“I am doing that now”, I respond with toddler in hand, dangling keys, grabbing my cell phone before running to find a car frozen like Hans Solo, frozen in time, in the Second movie of Star Wars.
I run the de-fogger on full blast, let the engine purr, strapping in our little one, grabbing the de-icer, and slipping my hand into my dangling purse, to find a Costco Membership card to scrape the windows.
A little unconventional, but works.
The window
s starts clearing. I can see again. My eight-year-old jumps in as we race off frantically because she has never been late for school…at least so far, this year.
On the way, I can see her in the rear-view mirror. Her face frowns, her eyes dart low as I ask her, “Are you o.k.”?
I expect an, “Oh oh, I forgot something”, or “I have a test today”…but instead she says, “Mom, you forgot to lock the front door”.
And at that moment, I could almost see the war in her mind, the story I had just told her the day before about our old house in the city getting broken into. I could almost feel fear taking hold, strangling out the happy-go-lucky girl that usually accompanies me on the way to school.
“Sweetie, your brother is there, it will be o.k. I will be back in a second, school is only a few minutes away.”
And in my mind, my six foot, four inch son who is twenty-one, would protect the place with his life, if somebody broke in. Plus our boxer looks fearless, and our other dog would bark relentless, if anyone even came near our place.
No, in my mind I knew….our house was safe.
But sometimes, what we think is not enough. Truth must be passed, or lies will root in places that will eventually cause havoc.
Her scowl doesn’t go away. I can almost see her replaying in her mind the story of how a thief came in and took everything in our old house…the house in the city.
And in moments where our mind starts wrestling, the enemy starts aiming, our deepest fears start surfacing out of control..there is only one thing that can turn fear into faith, only one thing that can win the battle, every time, there where decisions are made…scripture.
“Baby, what did I tell you? Do you remember? God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of what…?”
My downcast elementary school-goer whispers back, “Power, love, and a sound mind”. Her tone much lower, her enthusiasm damaged, the tone of her voice not as loud and boisterous as it usually is, when she speaks this passage.
And I wonder if sometimes we use scripture like magic, saying it heartless, faithless, without relevance or out of context, shouting words without grasping them fully not just in our minds…but in our hearts. Not realizing the power of our resurrected God who not only inspired all of the Bible, but also experienced the very same trials we are going through now.
So, I remind her of the story of when Jesus got baptized. I tell her how He was led out into the desert by the Spirit, and how even this God incarnate fought against Satan with this Sword of the Spirit, scripture.
I explain to her that this Weapon given to God’s people was meant to be used in times like these…when the enemy doesn’t bomb us, but slips in as if like some undercover agent, manipulating us with lies that are just subtle enough for us to believe them.
I explained how even the Son of Man used God’s Word on His way to victory. And how when we stand up to those lies we are stronger, and God can use us after we have come out of the desert of our minds and learned to use, the weapon He has give us.
I look in the mirror, while turning the ice-less car towards her school. Her face lights up, her eyes fix on me, and not at the ground, like they had moments earlier. I can see she is not drowning in doubt or fear now, but has associated with Jesus, a God who not only sat in Heaven, but came down to battle, winning every temptation we now face.
The windows of the car finally de-thawed. Looking back, I am reminded of how we as God’s people can sometimes be content driving looking out foggy windows. How the ice of our lives can separate us from the truth of God’s scripture. How the power of a gospel truly does cut away any weather that might darken our visibility.
But will we take the time to turn on our engines? Will we wake early, prep, prepare for whatever comes at us in this journey…expected or not? Will we trust that if God is for us, who can be against us…
Will we know that although days aren’t always sunny, and icy storms truly can fog our thinking…We can drive forward without fear and trembling, living filled with a Spirit of power, love, and a sound mind…
Because His Word is life, and He has called for us to shine…even on the coldest days.
(Linking with Barbie)
2 Comments
So glad you linked to The Weekend Brew. Your story is a clear reminder that God is who He says He is and we learn this through the truths and promises in the Word. Have a blessed week!
How will I face life’s storms? Beautiful example of the way God would rather we face them vs. the way we often do. May God give you the grace to raise this precious child in His Name and continue your beautiful ministry of fostering others in His Name.
Caring through Christ, ~ linda