Familiar Fog

I am thrilled to introduce you to my friend, Erin, whom I met behind a screen. Then, last March, we met face-to-face at the Daughters First Retreat in Colorado. You know those people you like, then you meet them, and you love them? Well, that is Erin. She’s the kind of person who walks into a room, bringing peace, gentleness, and deep wisdom. She is an accomplished woman in many aspects of life, including being a podcaster and author, but we are learning together that our most treasured role is being His Daughter First.

Be sure to check out her new devotional Sunday God Meets Monday Mom: 100 Devotions Connecting Faith and Life

Evelyn Sherwood

A few weeks ago, the morning started off emotional and heavy. My dad was recovering from an unexpected and severe heart event that involved six days in the hospital and two emergency surgeries. The medications were taking a toll on him and we faced a future that looked different from what we had envisioned. The adrenaline of the crisis wore off and the weight of grief settled heavily. 

The verse of the day seemed just for me: “Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.” Proverbs 12:25. Cheer seemed the furthest thing possible.

The fog was dense as I drove the girls to school. The thick blanket covered everything, making it impossible to see more than a few yards ahead. Any vehicles without their lights on were invisible until they were practically on top of us.

The verse from Proverbs about the cheer of kind words repeated in my mind as I drove through the suffocating gray. I encouraged my girls to look for ways to share a kind word with others at school because we never know who is having a tough time.

We took our time and navigated the fog slowly, but one thought comforted me.

I can’t see ahead, but I know where I’m going.

We were driving a route I had taken hundreds of times, and I knew every turn. I have driven this route in pouring rain, in deepest dark, in blinding sunrises, and now, in disorienting fog. If I had been driving anywhere new, the fog would have been a serious problem, but taking a familiar route made the fog less scary.

There will be times in life when it feels like fog descends on our plans. The path forward is uncertain, and we have to move forward in caution. Especially when the circumstances are out of our control, it can be disorienting when we don’t know what the future holds. In these moments, we need Jesus’ divine wisdom and direction.

But just like navigating the fog, when we are traveling a road we have taken countless times before, the fog isn’t as threatening. If we have a long-standing relationship with Christ in which we have a habit of turning to Him with the small daily needs, turning to Him in a moment of crisis isn’t strange, but familiar.

The week before in the ER waiting room while doctors were shocking my dad’s heart as it raced at lethal levels, my mom, sister, and I were praying. When everything was out of our control, we turned to the One who holds everything in His hands. It wasn’t awkward or forced, it was our first reaction because each of us has a foundation of relying on God.

Day after day, year after year, I spend time in God’s Word, I ask Him for direction, and I seek His will. Every toddler tantrum, every recipe gone wrong, every daily win or fail is something that points me to Him in a new way. So when something big happens, the hinge on the door of prayer isn’t rusty. He is the first place I run in a crisis because He is the place I most often run.

After school, my 7 year old went straight to her room to work on a project. When she came out, she gave me a paper she had written and asked me to read it out loud.

She climbed in my lap, and I read out loud the many promises of God she had written in uneven letters.

It was all the kind words my heart was needing. Out of the mouths of children!

She knew exactly where to go for hope because she had watched me go to the source time and time again. When the fog seemed too thick to move forward, she reminded me where to look.

We face small and enormous challenges every day. This is why it is essential that we lay the foundation of a strong relationship with Christ. We can’t make it without His help and we weren’t designed to. If we turn to Him for help in the small moments, we will naturally turn to Him in the moments that challenge us at a core level.

The most important decision we can make is to sit at the feet of Jesus and remember that we are His sons and daughters. The habit of turning to God with the small daily things will pave the path to peace when the ground falls out from under you.

Father, thank you for being a safe place I can run to not only when everything is crashing down, but also with the small daily challenges I face. Help me build a strong relationship with you by seeking your direction in everyday decisions and looking for ways you are at work in the details of my life. Thank you for promising to always be with me.

How can I make daily time with God a habit?

If you are having a day where your heart feels weighed down, I challenge you to read my daughter’s list of verses out loud.

Blessings,
Erin Greneaux