I remember the smell of dirt and the fear that no one would ever find me.
One time, when I was a little girl, my brother thought it would be a great idea for me to hide in a posthole for a game of hide and seek. Arms down at my sides, he put grass over my head so no one would find me. At the end of the game he told the other hide-and-seekers I had gone in the house for the night. My brother was right, nobody found me. When he thought I'd had enough, he came back to set me free.
Almost 40 years later, I still don't like it when I feel trapped. I don't like the feeling of not being able to move freely. I realize we can all be trapped at any moment, past or present. We can be trapped in something or by something, the impact is the same. When I can't seem to find my way out of the uncomfortable place I'm in, I want to scream and run. I want to fix it, to change it, or make it better. Waiting for God to bring me out of the place where I am stuck can require a great deal of patience and faith. I must do my part to help, but sometimes I have no choice but to wait.
The Chilean miners trapped underground for over two months have inspired me. I realize that my "trapped moments" are relatively minor compared to their ordeal. They have proven that if we can remain calm in any given situation, organize ourselves, keep our faith and find joy, we can survive anything.
Dear God, please help me to... remain calm no matter where I am, to organize myself and my thoughts, to keep my faith and find the joy in each and every circumstance.
Help me Lord to be free!
Some would say I should find a posthole, get inside and break through the fear. Just so you know, that's is not going to happen. These days, it would be hard to find a posthole big enough anyway.
Older brothers are really terrorists in disguise
ReplyDelete(at least sometimes) If we learn one thing from the scary pranks and real life fears that God really means it, when he says we are never alone, we are so lucky. You've had your posthole Julie and you have come so far from that time in your life, I am very proud of you.
Julie - Thank you for sharing this. I can recount plenty of postholes as well as pits. The irony is that most of those I dug myself and then I coudn't get myself out. I praise God that He is faithful and long-suffering (perfect word usage for anyone who has accompanied me on my life journey). I have learned that although I can't rely on me to be that perfect responder, I can rely on the character of God. "I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire, he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand." Psalm 40:1&2
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