"Just when I was about to learn the meaning of the phrase 'panic attack,' I saw it."

A thought by Max Lucado, from his book, You Were Made for This Moment (p. 154). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)

Here is the story.

Max says, "When I was twelve years of age, I took on a summer responsibility of managing the houses of vacationing neighbors. It was their idea, not mine. Three families who lived side by side were planning to be out of town for a month. They each needed someone to cut their lawns, feed their pets, water their gardens. In sum they wanted to make sure their properties were cared for. They invited me to take the job. More accurately, they asked my dad to ask me to take the job. He didn’t ask me. He told me. I didn’t want to do it. After all, I had Little League games to play, a bike to ride, and uh, uh, uh . . . Those were the only two reasons I could muster. They got me no traction.

"Before I knew it, I was sitting down with each of the families, making a list of the tasks I needed to manage on their behalf. I recall walking home from their houses feeling something I’d never felt before. I felt overwhelmed. Forgive me if my weight seems nothing compared to yours. Keep in mind, I was only twelve years old. To cut grass, feed pets, and make sure doors were locked in three households for a month? I mean, one family had a goldfish. I’d never fed a goldfish. I envisioned finding the little fellow floating on his side, dead from being under- or overfed.

"But there was no getting out now."

He continues, "On the first day of my unsolicited career, I hurried home from baseball practice, jumped on my bike, and pedaled like crazy to the residences. Three lawns needed mowing. Three houses needed attending. Three sets of locks needed checking. Three families had pets who needed feeding. Three gardens needed watering. This was too much for any human being to handle.

"Just when I was about to learn the meaning of the phrase 'panic attack,' I saw it. Parked in front of the middle house. White, wide, and fresh off a day in the oil field. My dad’s pickup. He was there. The garage door was open, and the lawn mower was on the driveway."

Max goes on, " 'You start cutting the grass,' he said. 'I’ll water the plants.'

"With those words everything changed. The clouds lifted. I could face the task because my father was facing it with me."

He then says, "Your Father wants to do the same with you. Seasons of struggle can be a treacherous time for the human heart. We are sitting ducks for despair and defeat. We turn away from others, turn our backs on God, and turn into fearful, cynical souls. Despair can be a dangerous season. But it can also be a developing time, a time in which we learn to trust God, to lean into his Word and rely on his ways."

And that is so true. It really is. Yes, yes! #continuethought