Fears (09/29/2025)

It was 1971 and my husband and I had settled into Mahtomedi, Minnesota. He was a grad student at the University of Minnesota. On the opposite side of the Twin Cities were my older sister and her husband who was studying for an anesthesia degree. And between us were miles of crowded Metro freeway. And my sister and I both feared driving on freeways, especially in heavy traffic.

At first, we didn’t see much of one another; we only got together when one of our husbands was free to drive. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I was letting fear keep me from something good. And so, I prayed to the LORD, “Hold me and my child safe, and give me courage.” And I started making the trek with my daughter strapped in her car seat. We’d sing the whole way. It helped. And my sister and I got through our Twin Cities years.

Then with my husband’s work, I needed to make the trip to visit my family alone. It was a combination of distance (400-500 miles) and fear of making the trip alone. But I realized, again, after prayer what I was missing. And again, I prayed to the LORD, “Hold me safe, and give me courage.” And for the next 20 years, I made the trips alone most of the time.

I was thinking about that and about fear as a deterrent, even a wall, that keeps us from doing what we know we should or what would strengthen important relationships in our lives. It doesn’t have to be driving; it could be being away from home. But the LORD encourages us always to build and strengthen our relationships, especially with family.

Is there something keeping you from connecting with a loved one? Is there something preventing you from reaching out or from meeting up? Have you prayed about it?

Life is so short, relatively speaking, let us seek to make the most of the time we’ve been given to grow in our relationships with the LORD, with family, with friends, with others.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.