just calm down and listen to me

Here at Gateway we have to do monthly fire drills.

Kinda like you remember doing in school.

The alarm is pulled when everyone least expects it.  Everyone files out to the 'safety zone.'  Heads are counted.  Alarm is reset.

Bada-boom.  Bada-bing.  You're done.

Well, our kids kinda freak out because this alarm is REALLY loud.  The type of loud that causes the sound to echo in your ears for minutes after the alarm is shut off.  Which I really am glad for.  I want it to wake us all up if it's needed.

So, in an attempt to keep our children from freaking out, I take them back to our apartment, have them stand right outside where they can clearly hear the alarm, but not be smack dab in the middle of it, and when the alarm sounds, ask them what we should do and go through the procedure.

Usually this works out great.  In fact, we were off duty once when the alarm went off and all three of our kids raced out the door.  So I guess they sort of have it figured out.

Well, we must have caught Hannah on a bad day.  I did the usual bringing of them back to the apartment, explaining we were going to have a drill-

Begin Hannah Meltdown.

I am not sure what all was being said by her, but I do know this child was seriously scared and worried.  I tried my best to explain through the tears and screams that we were just going outside but she was not having any of it.

She for sure thought I was leaving her.  She thought for sure there was a fire.  She didn't want to lose her blanket.

Meanwhile Owen and Maddie calmly headed out the door.

It was so ridiculous if I was watching it on replay I would probably laugh.  Mean mom? Perhaps.

But as I was thinking back on it I saw a kind of parallel.

How often do I freak out over something that really doesn't warrant a freak out?

How often is God looking at me as I wring my hands and cry and worry and think "just calm down and listen to me"?

If you know a bit about me, you will know that I am a worrier.  The type that worried about the ozone long before it was cool to do so (like 2nd grade, circa 1990)  The type that had to take Rolaids as a 3rd grader because of ulcers I was giving myself.

And, as I would like to think that I have gotten better since I have become a Christian some 15 years ago, I would say this is still one of my biggest struggles.

I freak out over the little things.  I want to have control over it all and when I don't. 

Worry.

Anxiety.

Stress.

Instead I need to look to God's word -  

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 

2 Timothy 1:7.

A sound mind.  That sounds relaxing.  Stress-free.

Sounds like a life that rests in God's promises.

A life that trusts.

Trusts that HE has is all under HIS control.

A life that can let go of the things that I can do nothing about and TRUST.

Sigh... Yeah, that's what I want.

It is so much better than the freak-out.