Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths. ~ Proverbs 3:5-6
A friend of mine gave me five notecards when she told me goodbye. We were moving with our three children (6 months, 2.5 and 4.5) six hours across Virginia. My husband would be training for his new job two and a half hours away. My husband took the older two in his car. In the process of driving the van with an infant beside me in a bassinet, I did not see a car coming from over the rise and moved to the median crossover, not realizing that the long rear of my van was hanging out into the westbound lane. Within seconds we were hit by an oncoming car and spun around into the eastbound lanes. By some miracle, no cars were going eastbound at that moment.
Very scary.
I was a bigger wreck than the van. The baby slept through it, of course. After all it takes to get through reporting an accident, we had to keep going. I was terrified that I was too exhausted from the prep and emotions of the trip to continue safely, but I had no choice.
My friend’s note card with Proverbs 3:5-6 was lying in the cupholder when I saw it. Before I pulled back onto the road, I read it. At every stop, the rest of the way, I read it. Each reading brought me a little more calm. I began to repeat it without looking. Sometime later, I realized that I’d had a panic attack. That verse saved my sanity. It became my “flagship” verse for life. In a way, it incorporates all we need to do as we face each day. I wish I could say that I never forget to do it after forty years of life, but that would be a blatant lie. I know I need to find solutions to problems, but I need to trust Him to guide me in the search. Every time.
We can’t do it all. We need God every moment. As sisters, mothers, wives, grandmothers and whatever else we do, we must trust in the Lord with ALL our hearts (add mind, soul, breath, walk) and He will direct our paths.
Thank God today that He is with us, readily available to calm us and lead us.
Mother Factors 