1P2:9

Last night my oldest daughter was screaming for me around 3am, awakened by a nightmare. Part of that nightmare became a reality when she awoke to find every streetlight and porch light on our block- even the ambient glow from grocery stores over the hills were no longer visible from her window. 

We were in the midst of a complete blackout.

Not having had experienced one of these in over a year and a half, the pitch black and deafening silence scared her and I stumbled out of bed towards her room to bring her comfort. It wasn't until I had tripped over a toy truck my son left in my room, my husband's work boots and simultaneously jammed my pinky toe & elbow against her door frame that I realized I too was a bit nervous and in need of comfort. After a brief chat about the ins and outs of power surges and the effects of everyone in Roane County running their A/C's at the same time, she was lulled back to sleep by my stroking her hair and face.

I got up to head back to my room and in the process fell over and stepped on more than one sharp object, un-put away t-shirt and plastic doll. In frustration at my blindly stumbling in darkness I decided to close my eyes, try to remember the layout of her room to mine with all it's lived in "clutter" and put my hands out willing Jesus to lead me back safely to bed.

And it worked!

Sometimes we think just because we are familiar with our present situations that we can find our own way, never realizing that yes, the situations are familiar but the circumstances are different. I know my room and the path to my girls' room, but under these darkened circumstances I tripped and stumbled more than I ought to have. It wasn't until I closed my eyes and literally let go and let the Lord lead me did I make it to my peace and rest safely. Now the phrase "let go and let God' means something more to me because he showed me in the physical realm what it should mean to me in the spiritual realm. It's like Judy the elf from the movie The Santa Clause said: "Seeing isn't believing. Believing is seeing."

That's exactly what Faith is.