My Safety Threatened

I never thought it would happen to me.

We all have said or thought that about some issue in life, I'm sure.

Well, for me and my family that fear came true.

This last week, Thursday, I was pulling out the flour bin, the salt, milk, honey and yeast. It was a normal afternoon. The kids were playing outside and the baby was sleeping peacefully.

Then I got a phone call that was anything but peaceful.

"Honey! Have you looked outside? Do you see the smoke?" I heard FEAR.

It was my husband. He was on his way home from work when he came up over a hill and saw huge clouds of billowing smoke in the direction of our house.

I went outside. I about collapsed. There, from our driveway, I could see that same smoke across the road atop a hill, just above our house. FEAR.

My first thought was FEAR.

Things up until that moment were normal, peaceful. CALM.

Without knowing how rapidly the fire was spreading, I gathered essentials (kids, clothes and kitty) and a few valuables (laptop, camera, important documents) and loaded up in the van. 

All the while, my husband was stopped on the freeway just a mile from our home, helplessly staring at the flames and dense smoke that covered the hill, praying that his family and our home would be spared. 

I was able to get out of the town and to the safety of a family members home. 

My husband was left (in a no cell reception area, by the way) for an hour and a half before finally joining us.

Throughout the evening, we watched news reports, praying that the firefighters would be able to keep the flames at bay. They were using 3 helicopters supplied with water buckets, dunking them in the river and relentlessly dousing the fire. 

Let me just say, GOD IS GOOD. God is merciful. 

We learned that the fire had spread over 560 acres! No houses were burned. NOT ONE!

What an amazing response the fire fighters had! And, the master Firefighter was also there, I am sure of it.

As the smoke thinned and we were eventually able to return to our spared home, I couldn't help but notice what I had ensured to safety as we fled the fire. 

My kids, myself and the kitty.

LIFE.

Everything else was of little importance. It made me realize how incredibly blessed we are to have what we want and "need" in abundance. It reminded me not to take things for granted and to value the blessings I have.

It also taught me to TRUST.

It was human to respond with fear in that moment when our future and our safety was unclear.

I need to give myself and my family over more fully to the will of the Lord. 

He could have taken my "security" and burned it to the ground.

But He had GRACE. 

In a teaching at our church a number of weeks back, the pastor said, "If God stopped thinking of us for 

ONE SECOND we would die."

WOW!

We are absolutely saved by grace. 

I am so thankful to have been reminded of my Amazing Savior through this ordeal.

The prayers offered on our behalf are so cherished, Thank you all for keeping us close to your hearts this last weekend. I am grateful for you in my life.

By Joe Garcia

By Diane Dekany

By Joe Garcia