Facing The Giants In Our Lives

(My Personal Encounter)

(Prov. 3:5-6) “Trust in the Lord with all thing heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. “

                In July of 2008, my son and I relocated to Texas. For almost 48 years, I had lived in a small town (Americus, Georgia). Traffic was very manageable and I had no problem getting to and from my home to my destinations. Well, this all changed when I moved to a big city. Even when I lived in my hometown of Americus, going to the city of Atlanta scared me and caused my head to hurt with knowing I had to deal with the traffic.

                Freeways, interstates, spurs and loops, overpasses and learning routes became a real giant to me. I was terrified and so nervous facing this predicament of the traffic. One of my pastor friends had presented me a GPS before I moved and it became a tool that I relied on a lot. However, it’s good to know your way around without assisted help just in case something mechanical goes wrong with your device. As we approached Dallas and Fort Worth, there were 4 to 5 lanes compared to the two lanes where I came from. Ride with me as the attached clip shows you all the routes and highways I traveled while I lived in DFW.  I became nervous but remained calmed because I had to do this regardless. When we arrived at my brother’s home, I got out my car, got on my knees and kissed the ground! Giant #1 conquered.

                Giant #2 – As time passed, my brother, who lived in Texas, had me to follow him to downtown Fort Worth to apply for a job. He and his wife drove a separate vehicle and I drove mine because he had another appointment after leaving me. He told me that I had to learn my way around this place sooner or later and this was that day! I panicked! After I finished my task, I proceeded to go back home. Even though I had the GPS programmed, I had never dealt with driving in the downtown traffic before. I went down a one way street (thank God no cars were on that side of the street) and was so scared. This was definitely a big giant I had to face and had to face it quickly. I had to either take control of the situation or it would take control of me. I prayed and asked God to please help me deal with this traffic “giant”. This was a day I’ll never forget. I made it home safely and came to realize that until I learned to face my giant, I would always have fear in going where I needed to go. I conquered my fear of the traffic that day as I faced a giant I never had to face before with God’s help. Since that time, I’ve driven in downtown traffic of Miami, FL, Austin, TX, New York, PA and other major cities. I now reside in Atlanta, GA where we do have serious traffic but I’ve faced that giant and have no problem driving or dealing with traffic anymore.

                To many of you, this may seem like nothing, but to me it was a challenge and a giant that I overcame. Thank God for allowing me to face this giant! Amen.