When things get out of control

Last week, one of the 2001 girls asked, "What does one do when things get out of control?

All I could think of to say was, "Surf!" as in "Surf in the Lord." Many years ago when things in my life were out of control, (they tend to do that a lot in a big family) I wrote this short verse:

"Life in the Lord
is surfing free
without fear of falling
and when you fall, to discover:
God is the Sea!"

Trying to control our lives is probably the biggest stress-inducer because it defies reality. We try to make life fit the streetcar tracks we want to assign it too. But life is never that tidy. What we need to navigate life with are the abilities of a skilled surf-rider. As we all well know the distance between where the waves begin and the shore is not a straight line. We ride with the wave. The thrill comes from believing we can do it. (I have never surfed ever and won't be likely to - I just love to watch surfers on TV) So it is with life - riding on God, we will make it. It isn't all up to us. He is a big part of the game! He is the Wave!

I used to ask you, "If your life were a bus, who's driving?" Is God riding in your bus? Where is He seated? Do you backseat- drive? I used to backseat-drive a lot. "Don't turn there, Lord. Go straight." "Why are we heading this way?" And so forth and so on. At those times, He would stop and gently ask, "Who's driving? You or I?" And I would say, "You are, Lord." And He would kindly respond, "Then please let Me."

Now that I am older and have learned to trust Him more, I don't backseat-drive anymore. I go to the back of the car, lie down and take a nap, totally willing for Him to take me wherever He wants us to go. That trust, that willingness is the key to my peace.

My grandmother always wore long skirts that had a train. We lived in a house with highly polished mahogany floors. She would drop the train to her skirt and my sister and I took turns riding on the train. When she walked, we would glide over the floors smoothly. We can live like that - riding on God's train as it were. Ot to fit the image better, our Blessed Mother's train. What it entails is realizing that they are FOR us, LOVE us and can be trusted to take us where we need to go. As Jesus said, "My food is to do the Will of the Father." (John 4:34)

Happy surfing, Little One! Happy riding on our Mother's train! Enjoy the bus ride- the Bus Driver loves us!