…and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. Ecclesiastes 12:7

Have you ever noticed how the day following an evening or overnight storm often dawns bright and clear with a sky so blue it takes your breath away? I’ve seen it happen more often than not, and it always creates a deep feeling of hope in me….

It’s late Sunday evening again as I write…I seem to be following a pattern. I should be trying to sleep but a few thoughts have been rattling around my head and heart today and I wanted to put them into written words before sleep wipes them from my memory.

As everyone in southwest Missouri knows, we had a major spring storm on Friday evening. Winds howled all day and heavy rain fell in the late afternoon into early evening, bringing hail along with it in some areas. Thunder rumbled through the hills and lightening crackled as it lit up the sky. Clouds hung so heavy that daylight turned to twilight before its time.

The storm front left us in its wake fairly early in the evening, but others to our east saw the real fury of the monster weather event. Lives were extinguished and property damage was heavy. And, unlike the more typical storms, this time morning didn’t dawn bright. In fact, we didn’t see the sun on Saturday as the cloud layer hung just above us.

I began to see a parallel this past Saturday with one that followed Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. It occurred to me that the day was set aside to mourn lost lives just as the followers of Jesus, many years ago, mourned the loss of His presence. For some, it was a time of doubting, for others a time to remember moments spent with Him. I’m sure there were those who questioned why God allowed our vicious storm system to cut swaths of destruction through so many communities and rural areas. The National Weather Service confirmed damage from an EF 3 tornado, packing winds between 136 and 165 mph, in one community. Numerous other communities were struck and, in total, the storm claimed eleven lives in our state. Many others were left without homes or with heavy damage. Power was out for many customers.

Of course, our storm could never equal the impact of Jesus’ death on the cross. But, when I awoke to sunny blue skies on Sunday morning, I felt a reminder of the importance of Easter morning. Friday was an excruciating day, Saturday was a time to mourn, and Sunday brought the promise of new life. Jesus experienced his own storm that Friday long ago, the likes of which we could never comprehend. He endured the vilest of human tortures while, at the same time, being torn from His own Father by claiming all our sins upon Himself. He’s the kind of Savior I want watching over me. He gave everything so that we could take all our worries and fears to the foot of that cross upon which He suffered and died….and leave them there.

This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. John 3:16 (MSG)

Did you catch the word “anyone” in this translation?

Boots are on the ground assisting those impacted by our storms, immediate needs are being met and contacts will be shared for help with long-term needs. Time will heal the physical wounds and rebuilding will soon be in progress. But there will be scars, reminders of a time of extreme turmoil, and, hopefully, spiritual growth. Jesus had visible scars too. He showed His nail-pierced hands to Thomas to help him trust and believe. He will do the same for us if we choose to let Him.

Have mercy on those who doubt. Jude 1:22

The next time you look upon an image of Jesus hanging on the cross with His arms opened wide, know that He is ready to welcome each of us home. If you haven’t taken that step, this is the season to get to know Him.

One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. Psalm 27:4

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. Psalm 56:3

My gardening juices are flowing this week. Seventy-degree daytime highs and nighttime lows above freezing make us all want to believe that spring is here for sure. Better take a step back—March and April can always bring some unwanted surprises in the form of frost, freeze, or snow. That means we shouldn’t jump the gun when planting tender annuals. I know—you want your tomatoes to ripen as early as possible, but you’d be better advised to start them inside in a sunny window or mini-greenhouse so that they’ll be strong enough to brave the outdoors a little later.

To satisfy your urge to play in the dirt, there are other things you can do to prepare for summer abundance. Many types of trees and bushes can be shaped up at this time of year, but not the early bloomers. They flower on old wood so leave them alone until after they provide their show. Your garden space or landscape beds will no doubt need a major clean-up for spring; leftover leaves that need to be removed, new mulch added where needed, and this is a good time to apply slow-release fertilizer and assess any changes you might want to make.

The proper time for planting in southwest Missouri would be after April fifteen or even early May for some things. There are a few cold weather exceptions that can be planted early, but you need to investigate before you dig.

In my beds, things are stirring. Crocus are showing off their purples, yellows, and white. The Lenten rose has hidden its very early blooms under dried leaves but they are venturing out. Daffodil buds are swelling and all God’s critters are searching for a mate. My annual battle with digging squirrels is underway. And I love it—well, maybe not so much the squirrels!

Ken and I were conversing about spring a few days ago and he posed the question, “What do you think a garden looked like in Jesus’ time.” Even today, in many countries it means something other than here in the US. It could be the entire yard or a sanctuary. It could be a spiritual place inside us where we go to be with God. All definitions agree that it is a place where boundaries and order are established so that a specific goal can be maintained.

The first garden we read about in the Bible is Eden. By all descriptions, it was a place of great beauty, abundant with food. We all know bits and pieces of the story. Adam was created and gifted with a lush garden space in which to dwell, with the expectation that he would tend it. Then, of course, God decided that Adam needed a helpmate and they were to work together to maintain the garden and were blessed with many delicious foods to eat. There was one simple rule that could not be broken. They were not to eat any fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Why Eve thought it would be a good idea to taste it, we will never know and why Adam went along with the foolish idea will remain a mystery. But with that one infraction, the two of them sent our world on an uncontrollable downward spiral.

Several thousand years later, another garden appears in the Bible. It is called Gethsemane and we aren’t really offered an image of this one. Though we don’t know what grew there, we know something much more important. Jesus went there to pray about his impending sacrifice, taking with him three of his trusted disciples. We often concentrate on their lack of obedience and attention, but it would be helpful here to take a close look at Jesus, his prone body wracked with fear of the coming day, blood seeping from his pores amongst the sweat. It was here that he asked his Father to take the task before Him away— for a moment in time, he didn’t want to endure the pain. But, in the end, he told his Father that he would accept His will and carry out the conclusion of the earthly mission as set forth before time began.  

We will face our own Gardens of Gethsemane during our walk on earth. There will be times of heartbreaking trial, moments of fear. Jesus understands that—he experienced it. At those times, do what he did. Go to the Father.  

Don’t avoid life’s Gardens of Gethsemane. Enter them. Just don’t enter them alone. And while there, be honest. Pounding the ground is permitted. Tears are allowed. And if you sweat blood, you won’t be the first. Do what Jesus did; open your heart. Max Lucado, On Calvary’s Hill (originally from 3:16)

Eden was the beginning of our sin, Gethsemane was the beginning of our forgiveness. Two gardens, very different in their nature, but each bearing its own portion of our story, our promise. We will make mistakes because we are human, but Jesus is always waiting at the door to welcome us home. He knows your pain—he’s been there. Trust him.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old is gone, the new is here!  II Corinthians 5:17 NLT

If you’ve learned anything about me since I started writing for the Gatepost Weekly, you know that I treasure green living things. To say that I love to garden would be an understatement. Growing things of beauty and providing food for the table has been a part of me since childhood. At this time of year, I wait impatiently for the day when I can get outdoors and “play in the dirt.” To pass the days and prepare my mind for spring, I researched gardening opportunities, and I came across an article about grafting trees that caught my attention. It’s an art form I’ve never tried and, at this point in life, I likely won’t, but it made interesting reading and planted a few seeds for thought in my head.

It seems that fruit trees, in particular, do not grow well from seed. Most of the fruit trees we find in nurseries and garden centers have been cross-pollinated and if we attempt to grow new trees from their seed, they will revert back to one or an incorrect blending of both of the parent trees, thus producing fruit that doesn’t resemble that of the tree in your backyard. In order to ensure the quality of the fruit you’ve come to expect from your tree, grafting is your best choice for reproduction and you’ll need to start thinking about performing this surgery while the tree is in its prime because the grafted specimen will take several years to produce fruit. All things happen in God’s good timing.

I won’t go into detail, there are plenty of online sites to aid you in the process, but you will need to gather cuttings from your original fruit tree in winter while the tree is dormant and acquire rootstock from a reputable dealer in spring. Your cuttings (scion) can be grafted onto the rootstock using a number of methods. You’ll need to study them and make your choice, based upon things like location, needs, the result you want to achieve, etc. An important factor in choosing your materials is compatibility. If your rootstock and scion are not compatible, the graft will be rejected. Be sure to adequately prepare yourself for the task, which is good advice regarding any project.

I recently heard bits & pieces of a conversation on YouTube (and we all know we can trust the credibility of YouTube) between a man-on-the-street interviewer & a Jewish man. I certainly can’t quote the video but the gist of it was that the Jewish man adamantly stated that Jesus was no savior and that he, a Jewish man did not need a savior…he had God. He went on to insist that Jesus was not the long-awaited Messiah but just a teacher or priest. That’s when I really began to think about the simple fact that had the Jews in Jesus day not rejected Him as their Savior, had they not nailed Him to a cross and watched Him die but had, instead, embraced Him, how different our world would likely be today. We Christians were not God’s chosen people, but when the chosen ones killed Him, we were grafted onto the family tree of Jesus!

The big news is that because God’s chosen people rejected His son, the gospel opened for the Gentiles. We became the grafted branches of the chosen people. (Paraphrased from Romans 9:30-31)

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. As Christians, we will spend the next six weeks in contemplation of who Jesus was and what He came to do. Think about who you are in Him and how you came to be an important part of His family.

“Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief and you stand by faith. Romans 11:19-20a

It’s cold and a bit foggy near the stream. Daylight has not yet arrived. Enthusiasts stand shoulder to shoulder shifting from one foot to the other in an effort to shake off the cold while protecting fingers with warm breath or instant heat packs. And they’re having fun! The adrenaline is high, anxiety at a fever pitch as they await the siren that will signal the opening moment of the new trout fishing season. Families have gathered for generations to participate in this rite of passage.

Last week, I mentioned harbingers of spring and this is a big one for us. We carry with us the memories of all the trout openings we experienced during Ken’s tenure in state parks and now he logs onto the online Trout Cam at Bennett Spring to watch the action from his recliner. Trout season opens each spring on March 1 and it’s a very big celebration. Anglers will typically catch their limit and then catch up with old friends. It’s as much about the camaraderie as it is fishing and, though it only lasts a day, lots of time and work are required in preparation.    

First, let me say that the Department of Natural Resources, Division of State Parks provides the facility, the retail space, lodging, and food service, either directly or through contracted concessionaires. They work in concert with the Missouri Department of Conservation, the provider of the beautiful rainbow trout that everyone seeks, so it’s a huge effort to bring everything together. It was especially complicated this year because Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery, a major supplier of fish, has just reopened after a lengthy remodel, Bennett Spring experienced highway repairs within the park boundary and is still renovating its hatchery. Roaring River State Park underwent campground and hatchery renovation, and Montauk State Park was devastated by flooding in November. It has required a herculean effort to be able to even open. There are still lots of repairs to be done, but amidst all the construction, the rearing of fish remains a priority.

Missouri only has a limited number of streams that support trout and the fish must be introduced to the streams as they do not occur naturally. The stream must be cold year-round and Missouri is blessed with lots of caves that produce cold springs. Once trout are introduced to the streams, they sometimes begin to reproduce naturally, but recreational fishing requires much higher production yields to support the number of anglers wanting to spend some time casting a line. In order to meet demand, each of our state parks that offer trout fishing has a hatchery where workers separate the males and females at spawning time. When eggs are ready, they are removed from the females and fertilized manually after milking the males. A female is capable of producing up to 5000 eggs during her annual spawning season. The eggs are poured into oxygenated incubator jars until hatched. They are then placed in small raceways where they live at the bottom because their egg sac, which is their only food source for the first couple of weeks, is still attached and weighs them down. These infants are known as “fry” and, as they lose their egg sac, are tended carefully during that stage by hand feeding.

When the youngsters reach a length of three inches, they are transferred to larger raceways and are fed mechanically. As they continue to grow, they are systematically moved to different raceways until they reach eleven to fourteen inches and are released into our Missouri trout streams to the delight of anglers. The process takes fourteen to sixteen months from egg to releasable size and they must be fed daily and checked regularly to identify any impending health issues. Each evening, hatchery personnel load the amount of fish prescribed by their formula for providing the correct ratio of fish to anglers. Birds of prey are a constant threat to the trout throughout their growth stages. As you can see, the task of providing fish for recreational purposes can be quite challenging.

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19

How much work do you suppose is required to “fish for men” as Jesus asked the disciples to do? We are expected to lead people to Jesus by the way we speak and act, then these baby Christians must be fed and nourished in order to survive all the predators of this world. As they mature and become adult Christians, they need the company of other believers to remind them of their commitment. And, if none of Satan’s minions tempt them into walking away, they will become strong believers who will lead others.

If you’ve never seen the “Opening Day” phenomenon play out, you really should drag yourself out of your warm bed and drive to one of Missouri’s three premier state parks that offer trout fishing. I think the weather will even be pretty decent. But wherever you happen to be on March 1, you can do some “fishing” of your own. Be sure to give your family some special attention, and treat your co-workers cordially and with respect. Be patient with the grocery checker who is dealing with a difficult customer and treat both of them with kindness. If you are met with an opportunity to offer assistance to someone in need, either physically, emotionally, or financially, do what you can to help. There is no end to the opportunities for each of us to be more like Jesus. So grab your rod and reel and go do some serious fishing. You may be very surprised at what you “catch.”

Therefore, go and make disciples….teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.

Matthew 28:19-20 (Excerpted)

Here’s a little “fish food” for thought. If I want to go trout fishing, there are rules I must remember. If I’m between the ages of sixteen and sixty-four, I need a license, and no matter what my age I need a daily trout tag for park fishing or a trout stamp for winter catch-and-release. During the regular season, I am given a time frame in which to cast my line. The parks offer a variety of locations allowing different kinds of bait or lures along with spin-casting and fly-casting options. There is a limit to the number of fish I can keep and rules about keeping them on a stringer and where to clean them when I am ready. Oh yes, and the proper disposition of unwanted parts. My catch must also be over the accepted length in order to keep it. And since the trout sometimes acclimate to Missouri’s spring-fed streams and reproduce naturally, I may encounter a youngster not yet ready for keeping. I must carefully release it with the least amount of injury to its mouth. I’m sure there are some rules I’ve forgotten but you get the message that fishing comes with rules and responsibilities.

On the other hand, Jesus puts no limit on our “catch.” He only asks that we accept Him as the one true Savior and try to live our lives as He would, teaching others along our way. As much as I love the excitement of trout opening, my best decision in this life has been to follow Jesus and do some fishing with Him.

Each year, in the dead of winter, when everything is still dry and brown, and when the National Weather Service issues a winter storm warning, Ken and I relish the dream of spring. There are harbingers everywhere and, let me tell you, we look for them. A harbinger is a forerunner of something. It paves the way. The first harbinger of the year is February, the shortest month of the year. We only have to endure 28 days of winter in February.

And this past Sunday, as I wrote, we awaited a harbinger, one that is exciting for us. NASCAR began its season with a bang, the Daytona 500. Drivers look upon this race as the plum they all want to achieve. It’s so historic and the air is electric with excitement. This year’s event included an appearance by the President, and, as always, there was a military flyover. This is one sports event that is always blessed by a local clergy member before the national anthem is sung.

One of the things I really enjoy about racing is that the drivers bring their families along. You’ll see drivers, who will soon race at two hundred miles an hour, chatting anxiously with their spouses, carrying babies, and holding the hands of youngsters, armed with their ear protection, as they wait for the race to begin. Obviously, these families live a lifestyle much different from most of us and we can’t really know them, but that little pre-race snapshot offers a glimpse of who they are and I truly love being witness to all the joy those kids feel being there with Daddy.

After all the opening fanfare, the invocation, the national anthem, the Thunderbirds fly-over, and the appearance of the president, the drivers were ready to race. The pace car pulled away, the cars sped up and watched for the white flag to drop. The race was on. And after eleven of the two hundred laps were run, rain began to pour from the sky. The race went into delay, knowing that it was going to last for hours. The storm was not unexpected. Officials had moved the starting time up and they had hoped to get a legal race in before the track got wet. It was not to be, so they spent the afternoon interviewing drivers and discussing races past, just to kill time until the rain stopped falling and the drying procedures could begin. Wow! Talk about a change of plans!

We all experience changes, roadblocks, and challenges. Most of ours don’t happen in front of a huge in-person and TV audience, but they can be just as daunting or even paralyzing if we try to handle them alone. The best news is that we don’t have to carry those burdens alone. We can plan the events in our lives down to the last detail, but if our plans are not completely aligned with God’s plan, he has his ways of letting us know.

We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. Proverbs 16:9

When God places a roadblock in our path, he does it for our good, and while we may not be able to see that in the heat of the moment when we know Him, we know that he does nothing to harm us but only seeks to bring good into our lives. When we find ourselves simmering at a traffic light while on the way to an important event, He may be saving our lives by preventing the crash that would have happened had we gotten through that light. When a longtime job abruptly ends, there may be a better one waiting just around the corner, and when a relationship lies in ruin, that may not have been the right partner for a lifetime commitment and patience will help to find the right one. Many times in our lives, God saves us from mistakes we may never know we were making because, at the time, our plans felt just right. The thing is….we don’t have the master plan. Only God does. So, when everything in life seems backward and upside down, when nothing seems to go right, talk to God about it. Trust in Him and you’ll find your best perspective.

I know you’re wondering about that race. After a four-hour rain delay, the forty one cars entered the track again, the temperature was some twenty degrees cooler, lights were coming on and all the track conditions had been altered by the onslaught of water. But the drivers and their crews made adjustments to their racing strategies and, amidst accident producing cautions, they finished the race set before them. Isn’t that what we’re all expected to do?

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great crowd of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Hebrews 12:1 NIV

And be sure of this, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Matthew 28:20b

It’s Super Bowl Sunday! By tomorrow morning, when I send my little message off to Casey for this week’s edition, the result will be in. The biggest single event in the world will be over. A new day, a new week, will have begun, and all the hype, the buzz, the tension, and anxiety over a single football game will be over, hovering in the distance of our mental rear-view mirror. And by the time you receive it on Wednesday, talk about “old news!”

What does it take to make a simple football game the phenomenon that it is today? Well, the media does a great deal to contribute, hyping first one player and then another, discussing the merits of the coaching staff, and otherwise engaging in ego-building. They certainly carry a huge ability to influence public opinion. And, of course, advertisers are willing to pay enormous amounts of money to air their commercials and fans will part with many dollars to attend the game and purchase memorabilia. There’s the simple fact that humans have an unusual affinity for watching big guys butt heads with one another, over and over again. Let’s not forget that the Chiefs had tremendous incentive going into the game because they were reaching for a threepeat, as it was coined, a third consecutive Super Bowl win, a feat no other team has accomplished. That’s pretty heady stuff!

I’m not putting the game down, I can get pretty excited when the team I support either scores or is treated “unfairly” by the officials. But I can face reality. It is a game and it’s plagued by countless variables that can affect the final outcome. Weather is a factor when they play on an open field but the domed stadiums have solved that problem in many cases. Injuries are a constant concern and many will occur during the course of the long season as well as the usual trading of players, shaking up the flow of plays. And of course, there are the unpredictable refs, everybody’s favorite scapegoat. Let’s face it, there’s also a lot of luck that accompanies the skill and dedication that are necessary to play the game.

One of the most important components of any game is coaching. Some coaches are born leaders, and others are not so much. In fact, we all need a good coach in our lives, and any athlete would do well to seek a relationship with the best coach, the one you and I have come to know and trust to be by our side every moment of every day.

Quarterbacks will come and go as will coaches, fans will cheer and criticize, and refs will continue to bring either elation or angst to the game. But if we keep our focus on the one true leader, there are no variables, just a trusted and true road to our final reward. OK, maybe a few variables will cross our paths along the journey, but nothing can take us down, not with our Jesus in control……

Well, it’s four hours later and Super Bowl 59 is in the books. The Chiefs Kingdom crumbled under the attack of a flock of very hungry Eagles. The final score doesn’t really tell the story of the game, as often happens. Rough night for the Chiefs, but tomorrow is another day and life will go on. A little rest and they’ll gather again to rebuild. I liked Mahomes’ long touchdown pass to Worthy at the end of the game that said, “We’ll be back!”

The way we respond to these temporal events in our lives determines who we are and shows the world around us whom we serve. I saw evidence that Jesus walks among the players on both teams and some were listening.

I don’t know if you noticed but, in the midst of the game and all the edgy advertising, there was a message about Jesus from the “He Gets Us” campaign. I saw photos of people helping people and heard messages about taking care of one another just like Jesus did. Like I said, Jesus is right here, in our midst, all the time….we just have to watch and listen, to see and hear. Are you watching? Are you listening?

But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve….as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15

Jesus…shouted to the crowds, ‘Anyone who is thirsty may come to me!’  Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’ John 7:37-38

The month of January brought to my attention a myriad of articles referring to specific words or phrases made apparent to various authors through contemplation and discernment that will hopefully help to guide them through the year twenty twenty-five in a closer relationship with Jesus or help them meet career and financial goals, strengthen family bonds or in countless other endeavors. Clearly the word most commonly heard in our home this past week and the most helpful has been hydration. There’s a good chance it may have made its way into your home too. You see, COVID came calling at our home, but those other culprits, Influenza A and B, have certainly made the rounds as well. If any of them came to your home, my prayers are with you.

You all know the drill when a respiratory virus appears at your doorstep and won’t take “NO” for an answer. Get plenty of rest, take medication when needed for pain and fever, and drink plenty of fluids. Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate! Drinking water is almost as natural as breathing to me but for Ken, it’s a lot harder. It isn’t that he doesn’t like to drink water, he just becomes preoccupied and forgets. But when it comes to liquids, we seldom choose anything but good old water.

Our insulated cups are a constant in our lives. They reside beside recliners or beds when we’re at home. They travel in the cup holders of our car whenever we go anywhere. But this past week they’ve been indispensable to soothe a raspy throat or moisten lips dried by fever. Water, as we know, is the sustenance of physical life. Our bodies can’t survive without it. It’s a constant in all the earth’s living creatures. Without water, our organs will shrivel and die. If you’re an athlete, you know how essential water is to your end game. But it isn’t just athletes who need to up their intake. We all fall short of our daily requirements at times.

I am invited to drink the living water of Christ’s salvation. His Spirit will water, refresh, and revive my soul. Max Lucado, Calm Moments for Anxious Days

Physical water keeps us, our pets, and our plants alive and well hydrated, but there is a well deep within each of our souls that thirst for the Living Water that only a solid relationship with Jesus can fill. If your spiritual well is running empty, it’s time to seek the company of the only One who can fill it. Seek Him wherever you are and you will find that he’s always there, right at your side. Your spouse, your parent or your coach can run beside you with a water supply that you can see, but to receive Living Water, you must believe in what you cannot see. Open your heart to Him and Living Water will flood the reservoir of your soul and you will never thirst again.

I am invited to drink the living water of Christ’s salvation. His Spirit will water, refresh,  and revive my soul. Drink with me from his bottomless well. You don’t have to live with a dehydrated heart. Max Lucado, Calm Moments for Anxious Days

Old man COVID seems to be on the wane now. His telltale signs will linger for a while yet, but the worst is behind us, thanks in no small part to the water we could see and the Living Water that we couldn’t see but always knew was there, stored up in our souls for just such a time.

Thank you, Jesus!

But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Romans 8:25

Have you ever been in a situation where all you wanted was a way out, an escape route? Who am I kidding? We’ve all been there. The walls, real or imaginary, are closing in around us. We may feel as if we’re suffocating. All kinds of illogical thoughts crowd our minds, and all we want is a clear path to something better than where we are. I can’t begin to count the messes I’ve found myself in that I wanted to be free of….sooner rather than later.

I recall on our honeymoon that Ken saw a drive-in movie theater that he wanted to check out. I was game until I learned that the feature was a horror movie. I tried to tell him that I was terrified of horror movies but he really wanted to go. So, we went and, as I told him, I was terrified. I promptly slid into the floor of the car, and tucked myself under the dashboard, with my hands over my ears. It was the last horror movie that he took me to, but after we left, we went back to our campground to spend the night in a tent. (We’re nature lovers, not city dwellers, so a camping honeymoon was right up our alley.) Not so that night. I heard everything that moved—and there was a lot of movement. I couldn’t get out of there fast enough the next morning.

And then there was a trip to Gatlinburg, TN, when my whole family wanted to take the skylift to the other side of the mountain. I’m also very uncomfortable with heights and swinging from a cable in a car full of people was not my cup of tea, but I didn’t want to keep all of them from going. So we loaded into the cable cars, the kids left the platform first and then Ken and I launched. I couldn’t breathe, my heart leaped up to my throat and my face became white as a bleached sheet. Ken really thought I was having a heart attack. But he realized my terror was real, perhaps unfounded, but real and he never asked me to ride another skylift or any of his favorite roller coasters again.

Just a few years ago, we went to a fall festival with our daughter’s family and, after viewing all the exhibits and souvenir booths, our granddaughter wanted to go into the corn maze. I don’t know why we allowed ourselves to be talked into this little bit of lunacy, but in we went. Two demoralizing hours later, after all our tracking skills were exhausted and we just wanted a cold drink of water and our air-conditioned car, we finally located the exit. I can’t imagine a human fascination that clamors for the opportunity to become lost and hot and thirsty, but we do it over and over again. We have, however, jointly sworn off corn mazes.

We haven’t tried the craze that swept our country and the world a few years ago and is still going strong. That would be the Escape Room phenomenon. As I understand them, these well-designed rooms are accompanied by a storyline provided by narration and all the clues that a good team of adventurers needs to make their escape. But I can’t get past the idea of being locked into a space with a group of people for a specified time period, people who, being human, are going to argue about the best pathway out of that particular dilemma, where loud noises will bounce from wall to wall assaulting my very sensitive ears. And not the least disturbing is the statistic I read that only thirty percent of those bold adventurers accomplish their escape. Those are not hopeful odds. My hope would be built upon the fact that the person with the key would open thedoor when the allowed time had elapsed. I could be assured that escape would come because the proprietor would be anxious to ready the room for another group of hearty adventurers who were willing to pay the price. I would just need to survive the intervening chaos.

You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word. Psalm 119:114

And wouldn’t you know, life mirrors that very description. In the chaos that surrounds us, loud voices tell us how to live, what to wear, what job suits us best. Others tell us we’re not good enough, pretty or handsome enough, wealthy enough…and the list goes on until we don’t know which way to turn. I’ve learned that the only way to “escape” the giant room of life is by searching out or creating a quiet space to spend time with Jesus. In His presence, I can escape from a confusing and disastrous room of chaos into a beautiful room of peace and comfort. Won’t you join me there?

I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Psalm 34:4