My First Line of Defense

Part of my training at Children's Hospital included knowing the “first line of defense” in case of fire or other emergencies. Knowing where the fire pulls and extinguishers are, as well as knowing the color codes and alerts in case of security issues.

In my personal life, I’ve also come to learn my absolute first line of defense when I’m faced with words that shake me to my core. I’ve heard: “Your daughter is diagnosed with cystic fibrosis!“ “Our house is on fire!” “Your mother only has hours to live!” “He was in a car accident!” "Your husband has Stage 4 cancer!” I wish that my first line of defense in all those instances had been “I will not be afraid. I believe that God has me and He will work all things for good!”

A great lesson came from one of my favorite Bible stories from Mark 5:35-36. It speaks of Jairus, a synagogue leader, who came to Jesus begging him to go with him to heal his daughter who was dying. As Jesus was going with him, some people from Jairus' house came saying “Your daughter is dead. Why bother the teacher any more?” Here’s my favorite line (the first line of defense) from Jesus to Jairus when He overheard their words: “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” I can even visualize that setting -- Jesus putting one hand up (“STOP -- don’t think!”) and the other hand with a finger up to his lips (“Shush -- don’t speak!”)

“Why bother?” Isn’t that what the naysayers and doubters say and isn’t that what the enemy of our souls wants us to say? It’s the whisper we hear when the bad news comes. "Give up. It’s Hopeless. I’m afraid. I can’t take this. I can't handle it alone."

Two little words change everything. “But Jesus.” He has a different message, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” Don’t give up or let go of hope. Jesus is the Giver of life and it’s not finished until He says so. He took her by the hand and said: "Little girl, I say to you, get up!”. The girl stood up and began to walk around” (Mark 5:41-42).

Above, I quoted lines from “my story”. “Your daughter has cystic fibrosis!“ But Jesus -- that little girl was dramatically healed, has a 5-½ octave vocal range and daily lives to give the good news of Jesus. “Our house is on fire!” But Jesus -- those were words our daughter cried out to us when their home was burning. They were all safe, their insurance more than covered their losses, and rebuilt the home and have shared God's goodness to others. “Your mother only has hours to live!” But Jesus -- Mom recovered and lived a full life for another eight years. “He was in a car accident!” But Jesus -- our son survived what could have easily been a fatal car crash. “Your husband has Stage 4 cancer!” But Jesus -- gave him and me such peace that passed understanding throughout the journey, and he WAS healed when he graduated to heaven.

Jairus’ “little girl” was his “But Jesus” moment. What is your “little girl” today? What is your first line of defense when those riveting times come? My first line of defense is Jesus’ words “Do not be afraid. Only believe.” It's not over until He says "It's over!"

It’s Inevitable – Storms Will Come

It’s Inevitable – Storms Will Come
Storm: a violent disturbance of the atmosphere with strong winds and usually rain, thunder, lightning, or snow; tempest, squall, trouble, controversy, unsettledness

Just this week, while outdoors in extremely gusting winds, my friend expressed concern about our weather. She was from the North and moving to Texas was already on her radar screen for the inevitability of tornadoes. My encouragement: “Be smart, stay out of harm’s way, get your heart right with God AND pray!” That’s my recommendation even when there are NO storms.

I checked out her concerns and I found that emergency officials in Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas are bracing for the start of what’s historically the most active time of year for tornadoes. In the past three years there were more than 600 tornadoes in April, May and June. Having lived in Oklahoma and Texas, I’ve grown accustomed to preparing for multiple emergency situations happening at once. I remember the crazy hailstorms AND the tornadoes that devastated roofs in my subdivision last year – mine included. Wherever we may live, we must brace ourselves and our homes for uncertain weather conditions.

When the storms of life come, we can hunker down and just wait for them to pass. After all, who wants to go outside when it’s lightning and thundering and the winds are blowing 90 miles an hour? And we can complain about the weather. In the winter – we groan about the cold, and in the summer we whine about the heat. Don’t you love it when you see kids, completely CARE-FREE, bundling all up for winter fun, or running out, dancing and splashing in the rain? And, don’t you love it when little kids play in the summer – not paying any attention to the heat – so much so, that we have to remind them to put on sunscreen?

I’ve figured it out. Life isn’t about being concerned and worried about the storms, waiting for the storms to pass, or the winter or summer to pass – or STUFF that comes our way to pass. It’s about embracing the journey, whatever season it is, or whatever the weather might be -- and even while going through the storms of life. It's about learning how to dance in the rain, in the storms of life and in the seasons of life.

I’ve been through some real downpours in my life, and I’m here to tell you “I survived and, in fact, this gal has become quite the accomplished “dancer”. I know how to bend, and not break; I know how to do the “quick step” and I know how to “slow dance”, and, best of all, I’ve learned to depend on my Dance Partner, and how to follow His “lead”. And in case you’re wondering who my Dance Partner is ----- He’s the ONE Who calms the storms and He’s the one Who created the dance!!

Matthew 7:25 “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on THE ROCK.”