I live in my hometown and I never once saw a bear as a kid. Yet over the past ten to fifteen years, bears have become more and more visible in our town, and in our neighborhood. When we first started seeing them, I remember being hesitant to be on the trails and needing to be outside when the kids were playing. Now, we continue to do our day to day lives yet we need to be bear aware. It may sound strange to some of you yet it’s become our normal here.

We have had a couple close calls, one was when a bear decided to come into our breezeway and eat a snack that was accidentally left in a bag a couple of summers ago. The bear sat with its back to our kitchen door and thankfully didn’t lean into it!

The reality is, we can’t change the bears being in our town. We need to learn to adjust our lives so we can still live fully, not allowing the fear of the bears to rule our hearts, and our decisions.

I share this with you today in case fear can rule your heart, as it can mine sometimes. I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.™

Whatever the “bears” and fears are in our lives, I pray we don’t allow the fear to lead us, but instead we allow the peace of God to rule our hearts. In doing this, may it help us gain greater clarity and perspective so that we can live fully, even if the “bears” pass through.

With love and hope,
Shawn

Let the peace of God rule in your hearts - Colossians 3:15