Fear

I’m planning a vacation this year to Tonga. Where? Tonga, a little island in the South Pacific near New Zealand and Fiji where the sky is blue, mangos are fresh, and the Blue Marlin fishing is supreme. Yesterday I was surprised to hear that Tonga got hit by a major earthquake. I have been conversing quite some time with the proprietors of the resort where we intend to stay, so naturally I fired off an e-mail to inquire as to their well-being. Thank the Lord they are all OK. They experienced quite a “shaky” time but everything is intact and all are safe.

I was in an earthquake one time in California and it was indeed a scary experience. I experienced first hand a front row seat in Biloxi Ms. For the grueling category five Hurricane Camille; I have been very close to several tornados that hit including one that destroyed the roof of the house in which I was staying; my boat was nearly hit by lightening in a storm one night and it hit so close the hair on my head was raised; I have been in two head on car crashes and two others where the car flipped and rolled multiple times. I consider all of those to be adrenalin producing-heart thumping-genuine scary experiences, but the earthquake was definitely the worst in the scary department, (even though the one I went through was a rather mild one as far as earthquakes go.) I remember being in the kitchen and seeing the room sway and the cabinets pop open and dishes rattling and falling to the floor and stuff sliding around the room. It was a helpless feeling, as in where do I go and what do I do?

My wife and I were talking about our darling little twin granddaughters and I told her that it pains me to think of all of the bad things that can happen in this world. I wish I could just guarantee their safety somehow. I want to make sure that if their parents hire a nanny that the nanny does not treat them bad or be mean to them, or shake them. I am installing a fence around my swimming pool and gates on the stairs of my house and dock. I have asked their father to allow me to accompany the twins when they begin dating or to do it himself and so forth.

Of course in the end it will be God who looks out for them. As with all of His creatures we are in the palm of His precious hand. We rely on Him for the air that we breathe and the water we drink and to keep us safe and sound from all of the potential catastrophes and dangers of the world. God has appointed to each one of us a time to be born and a time to die and we will not miss those appointments. I can rest easy knowing my Lord and my God loves our children and grandchildren even more than I do and they are in His very capable hands.

So far God has seen me through all of the experiences listed and many more and I trust He will do likewise with those whom I love. If not then He will have a good and perfect reason for whatever happens including taking a loved one home to be with Him. One thing for sure, I trust in the Lord with all of my heart, soul and being. I am not afraid of the future because I know God is in control and has promised to be with me to the end of the earth and beyond through eternity and nothing’ can change that! I wish everyone had the same kind of faith that I have because it is a wonderful comforting feeling when thinking about this scary world and all of the evil within it.

John 14:27
Peace I leave with you. My
peace I give to you; not as the world
gives do I give to you. Let not your
heart be troubled, neither let it be
afraid.