Watch Out for the Alligators!!!
By Reginald Bullard
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 (NIV)
“Keep the car straight and watch out for the alligators on both sides of the road.” One of the beauties of living in Southeast Texas is our close proximity to a national wildlife refuge center. It’s a beautiful marsh area that is teeming with wildlife, especially American alligators! Our older kids started to practice driving on unpaved roads at the refuge and the youngest has practiced there as well. The kids learned very quickly to keep their eyes on the road and be aware of their surroundings as one wrong turn would land them with the few fishermen, or in the marsh with the alligators.
Regardless of what parental road you find yourself navigating--teaching your child how to ride a bike, drive a car or just look both ways when crossing the street, there will always be an element of uncertainty. The Bible is full of verses that will help us as parents diminish our fear, like this one:
When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul
Psalm 94:19 (NIV)
The last part of Joshua 1:9 (shown above) speaks directly to parents. One of the things that I can attest to is that we will NOT be everywhere with our children. Even though two of them are in adulting well far away from us, we still pray constant traveling mercies. As we are at the final stage of a DMV road test with the youngest, I have reviewed parallel parking, obeying posted speed limits and the dangers of distracted driving. However, the most important item to review is that God is with us always and He loves and cares for us better than we care for ourselves. Happy navigation, my friends.
