Sharks and Snakes and Toads, oh My!

I am not a worrier, a wimp, a glass-half-empty kind of mother. Buck up, figure it out and take initiative are three of my favorite phrases to utter to my children. It's a tough world after all, and your kids better be ready for it when they leave the nest.

Captain Fun teases the kids that unless injuries involve blood or someone's head being on backwards, don't bother to tell Mom. And, no, I didn't worry recently when three of my boys went flying with their oldest brother, Tiger. They could not have been in more capable hands. The only thing that has really ever scared me is the DMV--and I conquered that just today.

Lately, however, I find myself skiddish at the ocean. The locals tell me you have more of a chance of being struck by lightening than being bitten by a shark. But I've been keeping score: the shark attacks are winning at the moment. And just a few days ago, a poor teen lost half his arm to an alligator at an area lake.

Though these terrible happenings are local, I still feel a bit distant from them. But last night my next door neighbor brought me a picture of a snake and a toad she found in her yard--a mere 50 feet from my own back door. "Show these to your kids," she said, "and warn them not to touch them." Both ugly beasts were not only poisonous but also deadly.

It, well, scared me.

Today on my morning walk with Hope I surprised myself when I started thinking about all the predators, both human and animal, that could hurt my kids. All the accidents that can happen-things over which I have no control. These glass-half- empty thoughts kept creeping into my mind, and I confess, it started to overwhelm me.

So how does a mother keep from panicking? I stay on my knees. Well, not really. But I go there daily to talk to my own parent and tell Him what's troubling me. And I open His book and read His promises.

Then I trust. I trust that what happens has to pass through His hands first. And I resolve that, come what may, life will make me better, not bitter.

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Matthew 6:34

A simple reminder of the One who's in control:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0n9euuZXt8