Back Away... S-L-O-W-L-Y

I doubt I'd have made a good pioneer; although, when hard-pressed and out of options, who knows what one might accomplish-?!

I've never been one to handle stress well, to navigate the unexpected twists, turns, and bumps in the road with ease. Then again, is ANYONE really able to do that gracefully, confidently... calmly? There may be some, and my hat is off to them, but for me it has always been a struggle.

Last Monday I got out in the backyard early, while it was still dark. I had a day jam-packed with obligations, so I wanted to give the birds their morning chow and my struggling plants a drink before the day got away from me. I don't always pay a lot of attention to my surroundings in those wee hours, especially before my second cup of coffee.

I really should.

I was dragging our behemoth hose around the yard (Tom had recently hooked together what seemed like two fifty-footers) to reach the plot closest to the garage when I noticed a little white streak bobbing side to side and heading in my direction. I squinted to get a better look - again, eyes not functioning at peak performance before cup #2- and began to immediately recoil, mind racing for options to avoid this collision course.

I thought about dropping the hose and running. Letting out a blood-curdling scream... I'm sure my neighbors would have appreciated that tactic! Yelling for Tom to come to the rescue, but he was in the shower at this point, and wouldn't have heard thunder. No. I was on my own, facing off with a critter who could easily have upset the whole apple-cart of a day and left me with a long-lingering remembrance of our encounter.

What to do? What to do?!

I cautiously pivoted the hose in his direction, trying not to make any sudden moves. He stopped in his tracks, now keenly aware of my presence. The only other thing I could remember to do was the advice I'd heard about coming across any wild animal. Freeze, then back away... s l o w l y, which is exactly what I did - hoping and praying that I wouldn't get my foot tangled in the mess of that hose and go flying.

My quick thinking (ahem) was rewarded, and the critter began to retreat. I turned off the spigot and headed for the deck, making as wide a loop around the other side of the yard as possible. I thought about trying to scale the deck railing instead of using the stairs, which were still dangerously close to said critter, but thought better of it. I'm sure I looked comical tiptoeing my way, then freezing, then tiptoeing again until I reached the safety of the deck.

Once there, my little friend reappeared, waving his tail behind him like a flag of victory. He waddled his way to the back fence, pausing only momentarily at the spilled birdseed for a quick nibble. Perhaps he took pity on me and my obvious fluster, and gave me a reprieve long enough to reach the bounds of safety.

Like I said, I doubt I'd have been a good pioneer.

It did get me thinking though. When difficulties come or stressful situations appear or disaster strikes, or... whatever. My initial gut reaction is to panic, to throw my hands up in the air and run away screaming. After that response often comes the hand-wringing, the obsession, the worry, the what-ifs and the what-nows. I begin flipping through options on speed-dial, hoping and praying for a solution, but never really turning it over to the One who can actually do something about it.

I think in those moments God wants me to freeze. To stop. To back away s l o w l y and let Him take over. Stress and panic are not good companions for wise decision making. Acting rashly out of fear is never the best option. Contrary to our gut impulse, often the best thing to do in a difficult situation is to be still, to pause long enough to call on the Lord for His guidance and His help in determining our next step. After all, He has seen this road of ours all the way to the end, and He knows how best for us to navigate.

It's so interesting and quite wonderful how God continues to teach us things our whole lives long. He uses all manner of object lessons to remind us not to lose sight of the importance of relying on Him first and foremost... even a near miss with a skunk.

Difficulties WILL come. There WILL be twists and turns and bumps along the way, but we have a Supreme navigator along with us on this ride, and He will take over when we can't see our way forward. He will always calm our troubled heart if we just back away slowly...

and pray.