The Real World...

The song goes: Summertime...and the livin's easy...

For me, summertime means later evenings, often spent outdoors with friends and family, a treat that I wouldn't trade for anything even though it has definitely affected my daily blog schedule.

To all who have checked in only to discover that there is no new post, I apologize and appreciate your patience. I'm just summertiming too much I suppose.

I do have something to mention this afternoon though, something that I've been pondering all day long and can't get off my mind.

On a couple of occasions lately when I've been with Ava Grace, I've had to comfort and reassure her because she was afraid. A few times, it was an offending noise, a loud truck, motor, or helicopter. At another time, it was the sudden awareness that I was in the next room instead of with her. At any rate, I've just been meditating on fear--hers--and mine--today.

How does a child who has seemingly never had any legitimate reason to be afraid of anything, know to be afraid? How does one so small recognize that there is potential danger lurking in this world?

For Ava Grace, my immediate reassurance or embrace is completely sufficient. Can I say the same? There is One who tells me to "fear not," and yet I fear. He promises that His perfect love will cast away all my anxiety and that I can cast all my cares upon Him. Yet, I still find myself fearful at times.

It's quite daunting to know that we live in a world that we cannot control. Each night, I am aware that having been given another day is a blessing, and I never fail to be thankful for the amazing benefits of having been born in America, and yet my thoughts often turn to fearful things as I listen to the news and read the paper.

As I prayed and pondered this morning, with timing that seemed supernaturally divine, an old song on one of my Ipod playlists interrupted me with a reminder that I only remain fearful when I fail to focus on the One who holds the whole world in His hands and brings His heaven to my real world.

I hear you, Lord. So I will fix my focus with faith in Your sufficiency and set my feet in the concrete of Your reassuring promises. As long as I live in this real (and sometimes scary) world, I will nestle like a child in Your secure embrace.