Consult the Manual
On February 6, at 6:15 am our world was all shaken up. Myself, my daughter, and my sons all flew out of bed at the same time. Instantly I knew we had just experienced an earthquake ... and I told everyone to go downstairs in case there was an aftershock. My wife and I debated do we go to work, do we send the kids to school, do we take the dog with us if we do leave the house??? Interestingly my wife did not really feel the quake as she was moving one of the cars out of the driveway. She said she just felt a little disoriented for a second backing out of the driveway. Now I realize this was not a very significant quake, but it was just strong enough to knock me off my center internally. Anxiety got a foothold on me that day. In recovery we say an addiction/affliction starts out as a toehold, then grabs you with a foothold, and eventually becomes a stranglehold. What I didn’t fully realize, until looking back at it, was the winter storms had me in a toehold of anxiety.
A few weeks later the tragic train crash and toxic cloud from Ohio passed through our weather system and I was watching the radar like a hawk as to when not to go outside. Within that same period of time UAP’s started showing up in the sky. Some were said to be satellites, some were said to be drones, some were said to be possibly aliens. So, at this point I am thoroughly freaked out ... This state of “waiting for the other shoe to drop,” became a bit of an obsession. I was online a lot looking for answers, to the point where I was losing some sleep and just feeling uncertain all the time.
Graciously, God got a hold of me mid-April and snapped me out it. At that point I was running scenarios about what do we do if this happens, where do we go, who do we trust. Then God answered ... “Me, I am where you run to, I am your provision, I am your stronghold.” Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” I repented of holding on to these worries and released them to God.
Even as I write this the sun is being blotted out by smoke coming down from Canada, and I can feel a little vein in my brain start to twitch. But God has reminded me that once I see that dashboard light go off in my head, “Check engine”, I realize that I need to put on the brakes and consult the manual. Reading our Bible, prayer, and service to others, are the ways to keep that warning light at bay each day. When we don’t do these things, trouble sets in and begins to mount and if we are not careful it can render us inert in our faith. Fear and confusion are the enemy’s greatest tool, and we must combat that every day with God’s truth and love.