Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust

Since becoming a mom, I have encountered a roller coaster of new emotions.  Some were expected.  Being so tired that I sometimes feel like I'm sleep walking throughout the day.  Feeling so drained at the end of the day from watching a four month old, which still amazes me.  I wasn't ever this tired at the end of the day when I was working from 8 to 5 everyday.  And because of the exhaustion, there's the flood of tears that are always threatening to unexpectedly descend on me (or my husband).

I knew that I would feel an overwhelming sense of love for my son.  A friend told me it's like having your heart walking around outside of your body.  One emotion I was not expecting is the absolute fierce need to always protect my son.  I mean fierce. I now understand the analogy of the mama bear protecting her cubs. Have you ever seen a mama bear protect her cubs?  I know that if I ever see a baby cub in the wild, I need to run.  Run as fast as I can to safety because where there is a baby cub, there is a mama bear close by ready to attack anything she thinks could harm her baby.  Yep, that's me and every other mother on the planet.

We are currently at Disneyland in California for Labor Day weekend.  I have been looking forward to this trip for so long!  Since we live in Orlando, we are able to go to Disney World all the time.  Disneyland, however, is another story and is an entire continent away.  This is my first time here and I cannot wait for us to make some fun memories.

As this was my son's first plane ride, I was anxious about how he would do on the six hour plane ride. Would we be those parents with a screaming child for the entire flight? Would his ears hurt?  Would we run out of formula or diapers?  And, worst of all, would he poop out of his diapers while we were in such a tight space?  (That one did happen by the way.  Good times.)

All of these are normal fears that I also may encounter on a trip to Target with my son. But as we were flying on an airplane with a bunch of strangers, I had larger fears.  Would something happen to the plane? Would my son get sick from someone or something on the plane?  Would we encounter terrorists?  Would our plane ride be a sequel to the movie Non-Stop?  All of these are things that I have no control over. They're fears, and they're real, but all of them are out of my control.

I have heard and read many people give advice on worry, fears and trusting God.  In Philippians 4:6, the Bible tells us to "not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."  It's easy to read and understand, but worry still creeps in.  I recently read a statement on worry that struck home with it's simplicity.

Worry is telling God you don't trust him.

Very simply put and a great reminder that, although we are not in control, there is Someone who is.  He knows what is best for each of us.  He cares about what we are going through.  And he can handle all of the stress, worry and fears that we have.  He is always there, always listening and always loving us despite our fears because He is love itself.

Love is patient, love is kind . . . It always protects.

Since I am far from perfect, I will worry on our plane ride home and I will continue to worry every minute of my son's life.  However, because of my faith and trust in the Protector, I will always be able to stop, remember and drop my fears at the feet of Jesus.