I Brake For Squirrels.

Posted on by Sarah Gilmer

I brake for squirrels.

Yes, I am one of those people. I totally brake for those pesky, Kamikazi rodents that wait until my Nissan barrels down on them before darting across the asphalt at warp speed.  Not only do they procrastinate before darting, they will inevitably change their mind half-way across and race back until the next Nissan comes along.

But despite the predictability of these rat-upgrades, I still brake for them. Why? Because no matter how maddening their traffic patterns are, I still don’t want to flatten their itty-bitty bodies into rodent pancakes. I wouldn’t want that for any animal. I have always been an “animal person”. I’m the kind of person who pulls over, gets out of my car and moves the turtle to the other side of the road. The kind who helps birds get untangled from fishing line. The kind who, if there’s a bug in my house, will catch it in a cup and put it outside (spiders and roaches not included. These require instant shoe squashing or a heavy dousing of chemical warfare.) And my favorite, I’m the kind of person who once saved a kiddie pool full of tadpoles from ultimate doom during a thunderstorm. As the waters rose, the poor amphibians began cascading over the edge to their early demise. I couldn’t let that happen.

Why? Because of a little thing called compassion.

What is compassion? Literally translated, it means “to suffer together”. Why do I feel the need to help the helpless? Because I feel deeply. It’s just the way God made me. It hurts me to see suffering in any shape or form, and my reaction to it is to “suffer with” and help. Even if it means I must brave lightning to save a bunch of pubescent frogs.

Many people think I am crazy. I mean, I get it. By being one of those people, I get made fun of often. But that’s okay. I’m okay with that. And I’m also okay with the fact that I’ve raised my children to be the same way. (My oldest cried for an hour when she killed a spider in the kitchen with bug spray – she was thirteen). You see, compassion is important. If she feels that strongly about an insect that, quite frankly, serves no meaningful purpose on earth – at all – how much more kindness will she show a fellow human being? Life is precious. We should teach our children to treat it as such: To stand up for those who are persecuted or bullied. To be a friend to someone who has none. To love the unlovable. To help the helpless. To have the ability to grieve deeply with another – “to suffer with”.

This life is much too hard to suffer alone. Just ask the squirrels.

So the next time we swat at a mosquito (well, no, he belongs in the same category as spiders and roaches) or the next time we see a turtle crossing the road, let us think about compassion. Let’s use it to serve as a reminder to “suffer with” and to show kindness to each other. Even the smallest act of benevolence can lead to softer hearts and changed lives.

 

Fear not, my friend.

Posted on by Sarah Gilmer

I have been thinking a lot about fear lately, mostly fear of the unknown. You know what I’m talking about, don’t you? The fear of not knowing what’s going to happen, how it’s going to happen, or how it will all turn out in the end.

We fear things may not turn out the way we want them to. We fear we won’t know how to handle it if it does. Fear can spawn anxiety, irritability and an overall sense of uneasiness or doom. Not knowing the future, well, let’s just say, it’s downright uncomfortable. Like it or not, we cannot be in control of everything in our lives. Some situations are beyond our reach. And that, my friends, is scary. This can cause an increase in muscle tension, higher blood pressure and ultimately it can affect our health. We may snap at those around us unwillingly or seek solitude where tears can overflow unseen.

To put it simply, fear is ugly.

Thankfully, God knows all about our fear. He knows we are humans and cannot see beyond the present as He can. Did you know the number one command in the Bible is not Love one another (although that’s a good one!), but Do not fear? It is mentioned 365 times in the Scriptures! Hmm, God must’ve known our tendency to be afraid, so He made sure to remind us every single day to fear not.

Now that’s a pretty awesome God!

See, God knows we are mere mortals and we fear that which we cannot understand. He knows the paralyzing effects fear has in our lives. But He also knows (and so should we) that everything will be okay. No matter the outcome – a poor prognosis, a pass on a much-deserved promotion, a simple ‘no’ to that one thing we’ve been holding onto – it’s okay. God’s got this. He always has.

How many times can we look back over our lives and realize, only in hindsight, that God was there with us every step of the way? Has He ever taken care of a situation unexpectedly and in a way that worked out for the best? He usually does.

“The Lord protects the simple-hearted; when I was in great need, he saved me. Be at rest once more, o my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.” Psalm 116:6-7 has always pulled me through the tough times. Don’t fear the unknown – even though you may be tempted to. God is holding you in His arms through it all. He’s never left us. Let’s be like the Psalmist says in Psalm 112:7: “He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.” 

We have a limited view of the future, but God always sees the bigger picture. Always. He’s taken care of us before and He will take care of us again. Never forget that! Fear has no power next to our Father, so be at rest once more, dear friend. Fear not what the future may hold, because we know Who’s holding the future! Take comfort in knowing we all struggle with trusting at some point in our lives. Just remember, whether rain or shine, you will not be going through it alone, friend, I promise.

God is greater than our fear!!

So this is happening.

Posted on by Sarah Gilmer

Hello, world! I am so excited to start my very own blog and I’m more than excited to have you here with me to experience it.

You may be wondering, “Who is this cute person in the picture? Is this you?” Welp, it definitely isn’t me. I wish I was her. I wish I was on a remote island somewhere, relaxing comfortably (though the comfort of that branch is debatable) while reading Jane Eyre in my Brittany Spear’s inspired uniform. I wish I could be oblivious to the world around me without a care, drifting off into an exquisite reverie.

If I’m being honest, I would most likely be worrying about the plethora of insects carousing on that branch or the piranhas lurking in the brackish waters below me. I’d be swatting at mosquitoes, trying my hardest to keep from flashing passerby while trying to balance on that knobby, ultra thin tree limb.

Having said all that, it is a picture that represents me well. An avid reader. One with nature (ok, so I exaggerate a bit). A solitude-loving reader/writer who loves to contemplate life and, most oftentimes, is lost in her own little make-believe world. A woman who loves to laugh, loves to create and above all, loves God.

Will you join me on this adventure? I’ll share the good and the bad, the ugly and beautiful, the embarrassing and wonderful moments of life. I’ll share ideas and thoughts and Scripture and maybe even a little bit of fiction. If you’re lucky.

Come on, it’ll be fun. We can escape to that exquisite reverie together. Or at least laugh while trying to get there.

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton