Amy took the frog.

Back around the last week of June, we had a weekend with some pretty significant rainfall. One evening, I was putting Sarah Faith to bed and we heard a frog outside her window. It sounded like one of those great big creepy deep voiced bullfrogs and it was on her window ledge. I said, "Listen Sarah..I hear a frog".. I thought it sounded kinda cool, and maybe she would too. 

Boy, was I wrong. Her eyes widened in terror, she jumped out of bed and ran to the living room, crying and saying, no frog, go away frog, no no frog!" 

She refused to go back into her room. Even after Greg went outside and removed it from the window. ( apparently it was a tiny tree frog with a really big voice!) All night long, one of us would either have to sit in her room or lay on the couch with her. If she, for even a moment, thought she was alone, she would start crying about the frog. We kept telling her daddy threw it in the grass, but no luck. 

The next day was Sunday and she still refused to go into her room, she also made someone carry her to church because the frog was in the grass. I started to rethink the whole "Daddy threw it in the grass" story because now she was refusing to go outside too.  So I had me an idea.....

After church, my best friend Amy came to lunch and we took a stuffed frog from Essie's mass collection of stuffed animals and strategically placed it in the middle of Sarah's room. We made a big production of finding the frog and Amy went in , with a shoe box, scooped up the frog and said she was taking it to her house.  Bye bye frog. 

It still took some coaxing and playing with her in her room before Sarah would go back in there, but finally she deemed her room safe again.  I must have answered the question 100 times that week. 

" Amy take the frog?"  "

Yep, Amy took the frog." 

Even now, some 6 weeks later, ever once in a while,  she will look at me and say, "Amy take the frog?" 

I was thinking of that story in my quiet time the other day and how I have begun to see a pattern in my own life of letting fear and worry prevent me from enjoying things that God has given me. With 5 children and one on the way there are plenty of things to be worried about. 

I have a high school senior... where will she go to college? Can we afford college? How far away is she wanting to go? 

I have two 15 year old drivers. Enough said. 

I have one that struggles socially. What can I do to help?

I have one that struggles academically. How can I fix this? 

I have one with autism and are we choosing the right therapies and help for her? 

As a homeschool mom, Am I getting enough academics in? 

As an expectant mom, is the baby ok? Is he growing like he is supposed to? 

Sometimes I am guilty of putting my best face forward on Facebook and people tend to think that life is perfect when in reality.... I have a lot of " frogs" in my life. Things that keep me in a state of worry and fear. That prevent me from enjoying the blessing He has given. 

The Lord led me to two verses:

For God hath not given us the Spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 

2 Timothy 1:7

Casting all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

I Peter 5:7 

Just like Amy came and took Sarah's frog, we have a Heavenly Father that wants to take "the frogs" in our life. He wants to carry our burdens. Especially the crippling burden of fear.  I know that the worries and fears in my life could be considered small compared to some of the worries and burdens that you might be facing every single day, but I will leave you with this one last promise from Ephesians: 

Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.

 Ephesians 3:20

Exceeding abundantly.

He can take your frog. 

 No matter if it is a tree frog, a bull frog or a goliath frog. All you have to do is let Him. In 1 Peter, the verse says " casting" all your anxiety on Him. It is a progressive thing. Just like Sarah felt the need to ask me if Amy really did take the frog over and over, God knows we need reassurance that He is indeed in charge and He is patient enough to answer those questions over and over. (A lot more patient than I was to answer frog questions. )

And life is a lot more fun without frogs. 

Just ask Sarah.