VACATION - DAY 1 - Don't let him steal your JOY!!

VACATION - Day 1 - May 31, Thursday

3:24 a.m.

We leftt in the middle of the night. I had the first shift driving because I possess good night vision and my best time of day energy-wise is early, early. John settled into an easy sleep as soon as he saw I was good. The 13-year-old, who stayed up late playing video games, growled his way from his bed to the back seat. Dead to the world.

When we got out of Denver, on a lonely stretch of I-70, the panic attacks started. Little ones that gripped
my insides. Earlier in the day, the enemy planted seeds of fear into my mind.

What if I fall asleep at the wheel?
What if we crash and die?

Instead of walking him to the door of my heat and kicking him out, I entertained the thoughts.

So as I drove in the wee hours of the morning, the thoughts came back, brining with them tiny suitcases of panic.

Added to this, was the fact that no traffic accompanied me, so all I could see was as far as my headlights shone. I relied on the white stripes in the middle of the road to guide me.

The battle was on. I payed and begged the Father to stop the seizures in my heat. Cruise control was set at 76 and my goal was to NOT let fear hit the brakes. I didn't want to slow and speed up at the command of panic.

God brought Jeremiah 29:11-14 to mind, verses often quoted in reference to God knowing the plans for our lives. The Spirit point out the phrase, "...plans for welfare and not for calamity."

Not calamity? I wrestled. God, sometimes calamity does happen!
He whispered, Not now. Let me lead.
I argued. "But what if it DOES happen?"
God: I will carry you through it, if it happens. But right now, trust. Let me lead.

I continued to fight the enemy using the Sword of the Spirt, quoting other verses included John 10:10. It occured to me that the enemy of our hearts wants to steal and kill and destroy our joy. Be it
for a day or work or a few weeks of vacation.

The battle ended.
The panics stopped.

The sun rose gloriously (see above) as if Christ wanted to give me a gift of refreshment after the struggle.

John woke up and smiled. "How you doing?"

I answered honestly, excited for our adventure, "I'm doing great."


Day 1 - Lunchtime

On vacation, you just can't do everything. As we drove through Kansas and Missouri, we passed the Dwight Eisenhower Museum and the Harry Truman house. We missed the Grey Hound Hall of Fame and the Custer House and Calvary Museum, among other points of interest.

But we did choose to take a tiny detour and stop:

The Wizard of Oz Museum in Wamego, Kansas!!

John's ministry is called "Tin Men Ministries." It's purpose is to

show men how to discover the heart God has given them.

Noah!

Me, with no make up! I looked scary like the Lion. :0)