Columns – Page 168 – EncouragingU

Grizzly Encounter

by dcreamer July 31, 2019 with No Comments

By David Freeze

So many things were happening Tuesday morning (July 2).

I needed to check my messages and also needed to submit my photos and story before leaving. I had been told to not expect to get online until late in the day. Plus, I wanted to see if somebody from the truck stop would talk to me about what to expect headed north.

I have a copy of “Milepost,” which describes what can be found along the road mile by mile. So I quickly looked through the current section. I found only one place where I was sure to get water.

A man named Bob was the grill cook Monday night when I got to the Nugget Truck Stop. He never did say much. I couldn’t get free water. I couldn’t have Wi-Fi, and everything cost a lot. Plus, there were only sleeping rooms.

I found out there were no food stops and maybe two stops for water. Bob told me to just turn left and keep riding. I bought more snacks, fruit and pastries and started riding north.

I immediately began to climb and kept doing that over and over, just a few miles apart sometimes. Only once did the pace go well. The rest of the morning, I just couldn’t get going.

A little into afternoon, I came off a big climb and noticed my first grizzly beside the road. It was about to walk out in the road, but it turned back just in time to keep from getting run over.

When the grizzly walked across the road, I took a picture. Then it started walking toward me. I put away my iPad and started pedaling away on the flat ground.

Just about then, a woman in a truck stopped and pointed back. The bear was running after me and another truck was stopping. I just kept pedaling and didn’t look back anymore.

I have now seen a grizzly. The two that Juergen, the veterinarian I previously met, encountered were aggressive. It seems they know they can be, although we don’t hear about this nature.

The first water stop Bob suggested had a pump, but no water would come out. I looked in “Milepost” and found one for the next day.

I didn’t have enough water to finish the day, much less for the nighttime hours. I asked Jeannie and Lee Kanter, of Ortonville, Minnesota, and they filled all my empty bottles, even giving me another one.

It was a nice meeting, and I hope to hear from them again.

Then almost right away, Thomas Lesperrier and Lise Faron, of Paris, met me as they headed south. They had experienced some of the road repair that I had when the dust was so bad. We all had it for about a 10-mile stretch, along with several shorter ones.

My diet has been pastry-heavy the last couple of days, but all is off to a good start. With just 11 days left in this section of travel, I think the towns and food stops will get more frequent, which suits me.

I plan to get a motel in the community of Teslin, Yukon, Canada, on Wednesday night. No real shower for me is crazy after six straight days. I am ready.

I completed 86 miles Tuesday and also had my second flat tire just before I planned to quit. It was a front tire this time, which is always my favorite because they are quicker to fix.

I planned to camp and set up among another storm of mosquitoes.

Some of you have emailed, and I haven’t answered you. I cannot send on ctc.net email until I’m out of Canada and, possibly, Alaska too. So, use runner.david.freeze@gmail.com and I will answer you.

Another day has come to an end. We have 11 days to get to Anchorage. Let’s go do it!

The Lifeguard

by dcreamer July 28, 2019 with No Comments

The Lifeguard

Salisbury Post- July 27, 2019 – By Ann Farabee

While perched comfortably in my beach chair, surrounded by all the stuff you carry to the beach with you, I was watching my two children play in the waves. Although still young, they were old enough to give me the freedom of watching their every move like a hawk from my chair, instead of being in the water with them.

Watching intently and staying focused on them only, I realized they were now oblivious to me, as they waited on the next wave to break.

Ride a wave. Go back out. Ride a wave. Go back out. They were quite entertained, and unaware that they were continually drifting further and further down the shore. But I knew.

Each time they ran up on the sandy beach, I waved my arms to let them know I was still there, but they never looked my direction.

Even though I did not have their attention, they sure had mine. I kept my eyes totally on them – because I knew there were things they needed to watch out for:

*The undercurrent – An undercurrent is water that is below the surface that moves in a different direction from the current. The powerful channels of water can pull swimmers out, knock them down, or push them to a place they never intended to be.

*The underwater – Anyone who has spent time in the ocean has probably felt something swish by their legs, leaving them with a question, “What is in the water with me?” Hmm? Maybe fish, sharks, debris, trash, broken seashells, seaweed, jellyfish, assorted marine life? There are things we cannot see – and we need to stay alert.

*The underestimated – And how about those things we just do not think about? Like how the shallow water could quickly become areas of deep water. How the sunny day could bring about a painful sunburned evening. How the cloud coverage that cooled things off could become a dangerous storm that created damage. How the wave coming toward you that looked like ‘a good one’ could bring you to your knees.

No, my children were not watching out for those things – but I was watching out for them – because I was their lifeguard.

What is a lifeguard? It is one who guards your life.

Even though this was years ago, I remember vividly the look on their faces as they finished riding the waves, burst out of the water, and ran with ‘shore faith’ that I was there waiting in the beach chair for them.…and then realizing they were not seeing the one they were looking for – me- their lifeguard.

They had drifted far from where I was – and far from where they needed to be. But, even though they were not seeing me, I had not taken my eyes off them.

Nor will I forget the relief on their faces as they looked around for me – and saw me coming toward them, waving my hands in the air, and calling out their names.

The first question they asked when we reunited, “How did we get so far away from where we were?”

Good question, kids. Good question. I have had to ask myself that often.

6000 waves break at any given shore per day – Our Lord sees them all.
2 Chronicles 16:9 says that the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth.
Aren’t you glad to have the Lord as your life guard?

Getting a Harvest

by dcreamer July 26, 2019 with No Comments

Getting a Harvest – By Doug Creamer

How are your weeds growing…I mean, how is your garden doing? My garden is doing better this year than last. We are getting a harvest and enjoying it. We have gotten some tomatoes, unlike last year when we only got a few. The squash is doing well. We have also enjoyed the blueberries and raspberries this year.

Early in the season, I was working hard to try and keep the weeds down. Things were coming along well and then we hit the hot spell, and I don’t like being out in high heat and humidity. Then being away at the beach gave the weeds an extra boost. So overall, we have a healthy crop of weeds this year. Too bad there isn’t such a thing as weed soup.

I’ve also been fighting the deer again. They really like my string beans, but they will eat the butterbeans, too. I have replanted several times this year. My mom gave me a plastic fence that I put around them and I think we might get some beans after all.

We’ve also been fighting some yellow bug which is eating the squash leaves, and we’re fighting diseases, as well. The cucumbers have been producing nicely, but something has gotten a hold of them and the vines are dying. The tomatoes have gotten some yellow leaves, and that has hurt us, too.

The weather forecast is calling for a cooler week. It’s supposed to rain on Tuesday for most of the day, but then give us some nice weather for the end of the week. I hope that is right so I can get out there and work on the weeds, and maybe dig my potatoes. The potatoes have lived much longer than usual, which I hope implies a big harvest. I know there is plenty more heat and humidity to come, but a nice break would be great to catch up out in the garden.

I am eagerly awaiting the c-o-r-n; I don’t want to say the word lest the deer and raccoons hear me and plan a party out back. The rain this week might be perfectly timed to give me some big full ears of c-o-r-n. I am hoping to enjoy that in the next couple of weeks.

If you want to grow a good garden, flowers or vegetables, it takes time and effort. The same thing applies to our spiritual lives. No one becomes a strong Christian in a few days. It takes time to break up the crusty soil of our lives. There needs to be a good place for the Word of God to take root in us.

That means that we have to pick up the Word of God and read it so it will fertilize the new growth in our lives. Naturally, prayer will water our new garden so the seeds will have the best chance to grow. We can’t grow in God if we never talk with Him. We have to spend some time with the Son.

We begin our spiritual lives with faith, then we add the Word of God and prayer, but we can’t stop there. We have to add goodness. Being good is a choice; it’s like the food we eat. There are so many things to eat; some are good for our bodies, while others can harm us. God wants us to choose goodness. That implies that we have to exercise some self-control. It is extremely hard to have self-control during the holiday season when there is so much delicious food around. God expects us to work on self-control through our temptations.

It seems that once we start to make the right choices, trials come our way. We have to persevere through those tough times. God is with us. If we take on His character, we will make it through. One thing that can help is being in fellowship with other believers. Your brothers and sisters can help you when times are tough, and you can help them, too. Sometimes the simplest gestures on our part can show the love and kindness of God.

I want to encourage you to let your roots grow deep in the soil of God’s love. When you allow your roots to draw in the Spirit of God, you will grow strong and produce a heavenly crop. We can’t do it alone. We need each other, God’s Word, and the desire to work in the soil of our lives, so we can produce a harvest for God. No one is perfect, we all have weeds in our lives, but that shouldn’t keep us from being fruitful for God.

Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com

Not in a Flatbed Ford

by dcreamer July 25, 2019 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

My friend Ann picked me up in the Red Rocket. She’s a sturdy ol’ gal. I’m speaking of the 1995 convertible. Bless her heart. She’s got a lot of miles on her but she’s still so much fun.

We tooled down the road toward another friend’s new home out in the country. When we realized we were on Old Concord instead of Faith Road, my driver whipped the car around in the road. The Red Rocket was now pointed in the opposite direction.

Soon we came to a four way stop. Remembering the wisdom of Kent Bernhardt, Ann prepared the universal sign of displeasure while I locked eyes with the man to our right. Of course we’d arrived at exactly the same time. Technically he had the right of way. But something Kent forgot to include in his instruction is the Southern Gentleman Factor. The nice man politely nodded in our direction.

“Punch it Margaret!” I directed my driver. She did so never having to deploy the recommended sign. For that I was thankful. Since we didn’t have the top down and my current medication gives me terrible power surges, suddenly I was hot: and not in a good way.

Dang hormone therapy.

Okay… so it’s old age and my glasses fogged up. I sipped the ever present Gingerale I carry due to my “condition.”

“Can I have some air?” I asked as I fiddled with the buttons on the dashboard.

She stuck her finger in a hole and tried to turn the missing non-knob. I’m just glad the hole she tried was not a cigarette lighter or her glasses might have fogged up too. Anyway, after a bit we decided to roll the windows down. Apparently the Red Rocket is not used to such hot women.

It felt good to visit our friend who is building her new house. Ann and I yacked like a couple old hens all the way there and back. She confessed that she just found out she has a cataract. Silently I thanked God that when things get foggy for me I can still take my glasses off.

“There’s Brandon!” I pointed at a truck sitting at a stop sign. Once again Ann whipped the Red Rocket around in a very questionable U-turn. She is related to my son-in-law and wanted to catch up. “Call him!” she directed.

“Uh… he’s a plumber. I’m sure he doesn’t want to talk to his mother-in-law in the middle of a busy work day.”

Ann continued to follow the black truck with the big silver tool box making at least six turns behind him into a new development. Before I knew it we were parked beside of him with our windows down. I looked at the man who was now blocked in his truck by the Red Rocket.

“OH! Sorry…” I mumbled.

He wasn’t Brandon.

“Punch it Margaret!” I instructed my getaway driver. She did so and we found ourselves at a muddy dead end with very little space to turn around. That small fact did not deter my friend. With the skill of a NASCAR driver she eased between construction vehicles and somehow pointed us once again in the correct direction. A few moments later we rode past the stranger in the black pickup with the silver tool box… again. He looked at us rather oddly.

I can’t imagine why.

I just hope the story he tells his wife includes something about two hot chicks in a red convertible that chased him down. Though we were not in a flatbed Ford, perhaps he will envision himself on a corner in Winslow Arizona. If I were him, I’d leave out the part where neither old lady could see past her nose.

Yep, we’ve got a lot of miles on us. Thank God we still know how to have fun.

Hungry

by dcreamer July 19, 2019 with No Comments

I took my own advice from last week’s column. If you missed it, in last week’s column I talked about how to enter a new chapter in your life. Change comes to all our lives in various ways. I offered a few thoughts about how to walk through those changes.

One of my pieces of advice was to rest. When we face change in our lives, we often find ourselves burning the candle at both ends. We are running here, going there. How can we effectively and efficiently make the new changes if we are worn out? If we can rest before the change, that’s great. But I believe that many times we need some time to rest after a major change in our lives.
Think about it. We take honeymoons as newlyweds. Mothers and sometimes fathers are given some time off after the birth of a child. We also take time off work when we lose a loved one. We need time to deal with the change in our lives.

So I disconnected last week and allowed myself to rest. I gave myself permission to rest. It’s hard to give ourselves permission because there is so much that needs to get done. I got some extra rest. I discovered something by the end of the week. The smoldering coals in my life had been gathered together. Then I felt God breath on them. The coals came back to life. There was a little flame. It wasn’t a roaring fire, just a little flame of renewed life.

When I felt this little awakening happening within me, I discovered something else. I was hungry. You know how you feel when you first wake up. I was hungry for the Word of God and the presence of God. Although I had been maintaining my quiet time daily, there was a deeper hunger for more.

I have plenty of Boy Scout experience with a campfire. If you can find some smoldering wood, you ought to be able to coax it a little and get the fire going again. You have to gather all the warmest embers together and then you blow very gently on them. If you do it right, they should begin to glow. As the heat gathers around the embers and you continue to gently blow, there will be small flame that develops.

You have to be ready for this moment. You have to have some dry kindling ready to add slowly as you get the first flames. The little kindling catches fire easily, and if you are patient and keep the kindling coming you can slowly add bigger pieces. It takes a little while, but if you are patient you will soon have a roaring fire going once again.

I believe it works the same way with our body, mind, and spirit. We keep pushing ourselves through the big changes in our lives. Our bodies can put up with some abuse for a period of time, but then we have to give ourselves a chance to rest. We need the opportunity to recuperate and become refreshed.

Reading a good book, watching a movie, or going for a long walk are all things that allow me to rebuild and feel renewed. Each of us does that process differently, but we all know ourselves and what helps us find the place of renewal. We have to get the embers started and allow Him to breath on us.

I felt the fire beginning to stir and made a mistake. I started to push myself again. I forgot my Boy Scout training. Rekindling is a slow process. I want to get moving, but God isn’t finished helping me rest. I want to get some deeper insights from heaven, but He wants me to be still and know that He is God. He wants me to be filled again with His love. I need to let His Spirit envelop me, to hold me close and renew me.

I want to encourage you to stir up a hunger in your spirit for more of God. It’s hard, but sometimes we need to slow down and rest in His arms. His plan is for seasons of rest, to allow His Spirit to refresh us. He does have good plans for our future, but they include resting and getting ready for what He has planned. We aren’t missing something by slowing down, we are getting something. I know it’s hard to rest, but it’s important to be obedient. We need to let God refresh us so we can fulfill His purposes in our generation.

Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com

Breakfast by the Sea

by dcreamer July 18, 2019 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

What’s your default setting? Where do you go when nothing makes sense? Do you have a happy place that re-boots your psyche? Christianese would say, “Run to Jesus.” So how do you do that when the bills pile up, the pain is great and prayers seem to go unanswered?

A good friend of mine who struggles with depression will watch a funny movie. Another friend finds great solace in his deer stand. He can sit in the forest on a cold, frosty morning for hours. David will take a long ride on his motorcycle through the quiet countryside. He calls it therapy. Me? Take me to the beach. Give me a day watching the waves and suddenly I’m good for another couple months.

The sweetest story is recorded in the last chapter of John. Seven guys were together after witnessing the horrible death of their friend. Even though they had seen Him alive, and realized that God had raised Him from the dead, their future was very uncertain. Unmet expectations, fear of the unknown and the lingering question of “What now?” made way for hurt and doubt.

Peter reveals his default setting with “I’m going fishing.”

His friends joined him. But after fishing all night their nets were as empty as their souls. With dawn breaking a stranger called out to them the ageless question.

“Catching anything?”

“We’ve got nothing,” was their reply.

“Throw your nets on the other side,” came the familiar suggestion.

With nets suddenly full, memories of provision and care filled their weary souls. Once they hauled in the bounty, they made their way to the shore where Jesus was waiting. There He had a hot breakfast ready for them. Can He get any sweeter?

Here is the Lord of glory, Who has just conquered death, Who understands their fear and emptiness, cooking breakfast on the sea shore for His weary friends.

He’s kind like that. It wasn’t enough to call out a greeting; or to fill their boat with fish; or even just appear to them again in order to let them know everything would be okay. Nope. He cooked breakfast.

That is a picture of our Savior: Grace heaped upon grace.

Just when we cannot take another thing, He sends what we need to fill our empty souls.

Hold on my friend. He will be calling to you shortly. Don’t feel bad if you have to look to Him and reply, “I’ve got nothing.” He already knows. He’s cooking up something special that will be just what you need.

Things I Will Never See

by dcreamer July 14, 2019 with No Comments

Things I Will Never See

Salisbury Post- July 13, 2019 – By Ann Farabee

It was the trip of a lifetime. Early July. Freezing temperatures. Four layers of clothing. An aerial tram to the top of the mountain. And we had arrived – the most beautiful place ever!

Mt. Alyeska, Alaska. Breathtaking. I could not stop staring. The green was the greenest green I had ever seen. The waterway, Turnagain Arm, was the bluest blue, greenest green, and clear like crystal, all at the same time. Identifying where the snow peaked mountaintops stopped and clouds started was next to impossible to discern.

There were others on the mountaintop with us, but the silence was deafening as we all became immersed in the beauty around us. Each one of us had ridden the tram up the mountain that morning – and all seemed to be impacted in the same way – overcome by it – sensing that only God could have created something of such beauty.

I had been transplanted right into the middle of a place of serene beauty that I did not want to leave – and could not walk away from. What a feeling! I have always believed God can speak to us through nature – and that moment proved it.

I continued to stand there frozen – literally and figuratively. I remember thinking, “I do not want to leave here. This is one of those things I will never see again.”

Had I never been on Mt. Alyeska, I could not have felt it as deeply, or understood its beauty, because I would not have seen it. But once I saw it…the beauty of it stayed with me.

Things I will never see. That thought on the mountaintop stayed with me, and eventually formed into a question with some answers from God’s Word:

Things I Will Never See?

I will never see:

*Love fail – 1 Corinthians 13:8

*The righteous forsaken – Psalm 37:25

*My need not met – Philippians 4:19

*My call not answered – Jeremiah 33:3

*My sins remembered – Hebrews 10:17

*A lack of grace – Hebrews 4:16

*Death – John 8:51

Had I never been on mountaintop experiences in life with my Jesus, I could never have felt as deeply the power of these promises of things I will never see. I could never have understood the beauty of the promises of these things I will never see. Once I saw it – the things I would never see – the beauty of them stayed with me.

It is such a beautiful place to be – I never want to leave. What a feeling!

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says that He has made everything beautiful in his time: he has set eternity in our hearts.

1 Corinthians 13:12 says that for now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then will I know even as also I am known.

We only have a glimpse of the beauty and joy that eternity will bring when we meet our Savior face to face. We may not have answers to all our questions, but we can be thankful for those things we will one day see – and for the things we will never see.

Chapter 2

by dcreamer July 12, 2019 with No Comments

There are events in life that cause things to change. Some of the events we welcome with open arms, while others are birthed out of difficulties. The kind of changes I am talking about create a new normal for our everyday lives. It’s a time when we are forced to move forward, to see and experience things from a different point of view.

The difficult things could be losing a job, having a parent or child move in, divorce, loss of a loved one, or a tragic accident that leaves one disabled. The joyful ones include graduation, getting a new job, getting married, having a child, moving into a new home, or (in my case) retirement. All these, and many others, will create a new chapter in our lives. It’s a new challenge, a new way to experience our faith in God, a new way to relate to those around us.

Here are some things to avoid as you enter your new chapter. Don’t get ahead of God or try to do things in your own strength. You have to do your part, but wait for God’s guidance. While many changes, even good ones, are scary, don’t live in fear. You are going someplace you have never been; trust in the Lord. Finally, don’t doubt the goodness of God, even when you are going through difficult changes. God loves you more than any human being can and will walk with you through the changes.

Here are a few tips to help you with your new chapter. First, find someone who has already gone down this new road you are on. Look for those who are positive and encouraging and who will give you some good guidance. Change is always difficult, but finding others to help and guide you along the way can make all the difference.

Second, try to get some rest. Change can be stressful and take a toll on you. Getting proper rest and not burning the candle at both ends can really help. You want to be able to think clearly as you make decisions, and tired minds can often be cloudy.

Third, start preparing for the change. Sometimes you can look down the road and see it coming. Work to prepare your mind, your surroundings, and your family for how life will be different. You won’t know all the details, but getting ready will make for a smooth transition.

The best way to prepare and get through any change is to spend some time with your Heavenly Father. In your spirit, allow yourself to get so close you could crawl up into His arms. Your Heavenly Daddy wants to love on you. He wants you close through the murky waters. He will protect you. As you stay close to Him, He will impart the wisdom and grace you need.
I think it is critical through any change in life to stir up your faith. If you are moving forward in God’s plans for your life, there is going to be resistance. The enemy will pay you a visit with gifts such as guilt, shame, doubt, and fear. The enemy will do anything to stop you from moving forward.

The way to combat that is to stir up your faith. You need to reflect on your past experiences with God. Think about your personal testimony when God came through for you in the past. He will do it again. He’s not going to fail you. Remembering what He did for you in the past will build your faith for what He will do for you not only in the present situation but also the future.

God’s plan is to grow us up spiritually. He uses carefully articulated plans to create the growth that He wants to see in us. I believe that God is constantly trying to create the environment in our lives that will draw us closer to Him, give us a greater knowledge of Him, and cause our faith to become stronger. That means that God will use everything in His power to bring about His purposes, including new chapters in our lives. He wants us to trust Him and believe in Him for more.

I want to encourage you if you find yourself in a place where God is writing a new chapter in your life. Trust in the goodness of your Heavenly Author to write an exciting and good chapter for you. That doesn’t mean that you won’t have tough times, but it does mean that He will walk with you through them. He is bringing a blessing to you through each new chapter.

Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com

Surrender

by dcreamer July 7, 2019 with No Comments

Surrender

Salisbury Post- July 6, 2019 – By Ann Farabee

Once again, Philippians 4:6 slipped my mind: Don’t worry about anything. Pray about everything.

There was a project that was taking all my attention. It was requiring all the organizational, management, and relational skills I had in my arsenal. I was too far in to quit. I had to complete the good work. Day after day, hour after hour, as I worked toward its completion, I kept thinking, “Why did I say YES?”

But, I had said YES. And… I had to finish it. And… I had to give my best.

My daily thought was, “If I can just get through this…”

As a friend was helping me sort out details to make it perfect, we began to realize that the outcome really did not just depend on us, but depended on the work and decisions of others, too. We really did not have total control.

There. I said it: CONTROL.

Yes, I was in charge of the project, but there were parts of it that I could not control. I stopped dead in my tracks when my friend said, “We just have to surrender.”

That word changed it all: SURRENDER.

All to Jesus, I surrender. All to Him I freely give? Right? Isn’t that how the hymn goes?

The word kept ringing in my ears: SURRENDER. I felt like the fugitive on the run who held up his arms in surrender almost gratefully to the one who had been searching for him.

Being on the run had not worked – and the moment of surrender brought instant relief.

The meaning of surrender is ceasing resistance, submitting to authority, to give in to, or to give up a possession. I had been assigned this huge project. I was trying to complete it. I knew I had to surrender.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and prayed, “Lord, I surrender this to You. I can’t do it on my own.”

God then began to pour into my spirit what surrender looked like:

• It was not ‘look what I did.’ It was ‘look what God did.’

• It was not about being in control. It was about releasing control.

• It was not about working for God. It was about God working in me.

• It was not about having power to do the work. It was about the power of Christ in me.

• It was not about personal results. It was about God results.

• It was not about my desires. It was about resting in God’s desires.

• It was not for the glory of Ann. It was for the glory of God.

• It was not harder after I surrendered. It actually was much easier.

Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

His plans – not ours. For me. For you.

The Lion

by dcreamer June 30, 2019 with No Comments

Be sober. Be vigilant. We have an enemy — the devil. He is as a roaring lion. He walks about. He is seeking whom he may devour.

Okay, I admit. This is not an encouraging start to a column. Thankfully, those words from 1 Peter 5:8 have a BUT GOD that shows up two verses later: But God, of all grace, has called us to eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after we have suffered a little while, will restore us making us perfect, stablished, strengthened, and settled.

That’s a great promise.

But, how about those roaring lions seeking whom they may devour?

Lions attack the weak, the sick, the young, the straggling, the helpless, those who are not alert, and those who are alone.

Once while on a field trip to the zoo with my kindergarten class, we saw the area where the lions were enclosed in front of us. My students were very excited, and began to run ahead to get a closer look.

As soon as they reached the enclosure, one of the lions let out a huge ROAR. All 22 students immediately backed away — and kept backing away — until they had all gathered safely around me.

They had been willing to get close to the lion at first — just a big cat, right? But then… the roar came — and the danger appeared. As the roar began, the lion began walking about, seeking whom he may devour.

Even though we know there was no real danger at the zoo that day, the response of those 5-year-olds sure can teach us a great lesson, as they exemplified what is taught in 1 Peter 5:6-8:

• 1 Peter 5:6. Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. The children humbled themselves and backed away, as they became fearful. They knew where their help would come from.

• 1 Peter 5:7. Cast all your care upon him, for he cares for you. Cast means to throw something forcefully. When they backed up right to where I was standing, they immediately felt peace. They had cast their cares on the one they knew that cared for them — their teacher.

• 1 Peter 5:8. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour. Sober means serious. Being vigilant means to carefully watch for dangers or difficulties. The children sensed danger — backed away from the enemy — and got to a place of protection.

Lord, help us to humble ourselves. Help us to cast all our care upon You. Help us to be sober and vigilant. Amen.

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