Out on a Limb

I never went out on a limb when I was younger. I blame it on my innate instincts to be safe. Here are the most adventurous and outrageous things I recall doing during my childhood and teenage years:

1. I drank 6 cans of soda in one night at a sleepover.

2. I jumped off a cliff into water below.

3. I tied my sister up to a tree while we were “pretending” and left her there for … several minutes.

4. I wore all green, made a hair accessory out of green curling ribbon, and put a temporary tattoo of a Shamrock on my cheek for St. Patrick’s Day.

5. My friends and I dressed up in all black and planned an awesome escape from our cabin at summer camp, despite the warnings that we’d be sent home if we were caught.

Here are the outcomes of those adventurous and outrageous things I did:

1. I spent the whole next morning throwing up and wasn’t allowed to spend the night at a friend’s house for a long time.

2. It was at a water park … and I had to make my sister push me because I was too scared to jump … and I’m sure it was probably a super wimpy cliff that seemed impressive at the time.

3. I accidently tied my sister up to a tree that had a massive red anthill at the bottom … did I mention I had gagged her too?

4. I’m pretty sure my festive St. Patrick’s Day get-up contributed to my best friend getting asked to prom by the guy I had a crush on.

5. We planned our escape for midnight and decided to get some sleep until then. We didn’t wake up until morning.

Going out on a limb was not my strong suit — at least not in an adventurous sort of way. The times when it really counts to go out on a limb are when a need arises to stand up for righteousness.

Go out on a limb and stick up for a classmate that is being bullied.

Go out on a limb and befriend the girl no one in your class likes.

Go out on a limb and discourage your peers from cheating or taking the easy way out.

Go out on a limb and start a Bible study before school, openly invite your friends to youth group, or bring your Bible to read during the bus ride, lunch, or study hall.

Noah went out on a limb and built the ark because God had told him to. He was ridiculed by everyone around him but he did what he knew was right — and that was to obey God (Genesis 6-7).

Rahab went out on a limb to help the Israelite spies escape from her city even though she knew the spies were intending on bringing back an army to destroy the city. Rahab knew that God was with the Israelites and stood up for righteousness (Joshua 2).

Queen Esther went out on a limb — in a big way. She risked her life to plead with the King to abolish a law that would kill all Jews. She stood up against the most powerful man in the kingdom because of a law that she knew was wrong (Esther 7).

What can you do to go out on a limb and stand up for righteousness?

Be Strong and Courageous

The first 24 hours of being home without my husband while he was at Basic Training was quite eventful. I had been warned by other Army wife friends to expect the unexpected from the minute I dropped off my husband.

I drove away from the recruiter’s office on February 21 with heavy sobs after watching my precious husband climb aboard a shuttle with a handful of other shippers. A few blocks later I pulled into a parking lot where I dabbed my tears, re-applied my mascara, and determined to be strong and courageous for the next six months of our first Army separation.

During the first eighteen years of my life I had live-in bug exterminators. They were called “mom and dad.” They were inexpensive, on-call at all hours of the night, and in fact, their response time was amazing — a simple squeal or a shake-down, freak-out dance was enough to summon their help.

In college I took on another live-in bug exterminator. This one was called “Kristina,” and she was my roommate. She was also an Army brat and would someday marry a handsome soldier herself.

When I got married I operated under the assumption that my husband would always be there to take care of me. For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to kill and to chase out all vermin and bugs, as long as we both shall live.

But three and a half years into our marriage we sensed a new calling on our lives, and “always being there to take care of me” took on a little bit of a different form. My husband had a recurring desire to serve in the United States military in some capacity. After several years of having the same desire, we realized that was God’s way of getting our attention and re-directing us. I’ve never been more proud of or in love with my husband. God’s plans for our lives are always best!

Within the first 24 hours of my new determination to be strong and courageous while my husband was away, I saw the biggest spider of my whole life on the back porch. I was convinced it had fangs and was on a mission from Satan to destroy my confidence in myself and my strength to make it another 5 months and 29 days without my best friend and life partner. My puppy must have sensed that her “daddy” was gone, because she had taken on a wild and unruly personality that also ate away at my fragile strong and courageous new self. It was the perfect storm for an emotional meltdown. Everyone has different breaking points. After a gut-wrentchingly emotional and sleep-deprived week leading up to my husband’s departure, my breaking point came after a gargantuan spider and an uncontrollable puppy hit me when I was already feeling down. I laid on the couch wrapped in a blanket and let myself cry for the next forty-five minutes.

After a good night’s sleep and some quality time in prayer, I felt my strength return.

The message on my heart since the day my husband enlisted is to be strong and courageous. This phrase is mentioned several times in the Old Testament — primarily in the book of Joshua.

After Moses died, God called Joshua to be the next leader if the Israelites. Talk about some big shoes to fill! God must have known what was going through his mind, because Joshua was told by God several times to be strong and courageous.

“No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them” (Joshua 1:5,6, NIV).

Joshua had quite the adventure ahead of him. He was going to be leading the Israelites across the Jordan River to the land God had prepared for them. While praying about the decision to enlist in the military, my husband and I felt peace about embarking on the crazy six year adventure of being in the Army Reserves — he as the soldier, I as the wife. Just as God told Joshua to be strong and courageous in his situation, I feel God charging me to be strong and courageous in my situation.

Whether you’re overwhelmed with the responsibilities of taking over the bills, making repairs or mowing the lawn, disciplining children, feeling helpless and anxious while your loved one is away, being afraid of the noises you hear when you lay in your bed alone at night, or are simply struggling with seemingly insignificant stressors like killing your own bugs, find strength in the midst of it all by remembering this great verse:

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7, NIV).

Southern Migration

My parents moved from Minnesota down to Missouri, just 40 minutes south of me a week ago today. Their drive was complicated by the trailer they were towing, the need to stop and take quick naps at rest stops since they were each driving their own car and couldn't spell each other when they got tired, spontaneous hail storms, and tornado warnings. The state of Missouri truly went all out in its welcome to them.

At 11:40 the night they were arrive I got the dreaded severe thunderstorm warning text message to my phone. A millisecond later a second text alerted me that we were upgraded to a tornado warning. And then the sirens went off. Never a dull moment here in west Springfield. Fortunately, I hadn't changed into my pajamas yet and still had full make-up on, so at least I looked darn good during this tornado warning instead of like death coming out of a deep sleep. I flipped the TV on and called my dad to determine their location. They were just south of Bolivar...conveniently located in the bright red zone of imminent death, according to the animated predictions I was seeing on the weather report. Awesome. They put the pedal to the metal and increased their driving speed. Probably to a whopping 65 mph since they were towing a trailer of belongings to hold them over until the moving truck would arrive. I nervously paced until I saw their headlights out front. The wind had really picked up and a grandiose display of lightning highlighted the crazy dark clouds. There was no thunder or rain. Just wind and lightning. Scary. My dad backed the trailer up into the garage and pulled the cars into the driveway (my mom followed my dad down in her car). We frantically unloaded the cars and flipped the news back on.

What a way to make an entrance :) Under the cover of darkness and to the soundtrack of tornado sirens. Their new life in Missouri has officially begun!