I drink a ton of coffee and I often wonder if the
caffeine really affects me. The other night, I drank a cup around 7
o'clock and guess what, I was wired until midnight! I
talked my husband's ear off until 11. After crawling in bed, he was soon
snoring but I was still wide awake. Around midnight, I heard a familiar
sound.
Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang! (6 gunshots, about a block away)
I calmly rolled over, picked up my cell phone and dialed 911. After 25 rings (I wasn't real thrilled about that) the dispatcher answered. I reported the shots, told her the estimated direction, gave my name, address and phone number and she assured me a squad would be in the area in a few minutes.
After I hung up the phone, I rolled over and drifted peacefully off to sleep.
Now you may be thinking, "WHAT? You calmly rolled over, drifted peacefully off to sleep, are you crazy? 6 guns shots?" The truth is, 15 years ago I would have said the same thing.
I met my husband during my senior year of college. I majored in Urban Ministries at Moody Bible Institute but by the time I graduated I wanted nothing to do with the inner-city. However, my husband already owned a home in a Minneapolis neighborhood with a bad reputation. The day after our wedding, I moved in and we are still here.
I distinctly remember hearing my first gunshots. A few weeks before we were married, we were over doing work on the house. The shots rang out and I curled up on the floor and cried a bit. In college, I had lived in the city but never experienced gunshots. Although, when the roller bladers came off the ramp at Culby Hall it made a pretty big bang (any Moody people remember that?)
So how in 15 years have I gone from crying on the floor (which is probably what most people would do) to calmly rolling over and going back to sleep. The answer is simple, it's Philippians 4:6-7.
I teach the 2 and 3 year old Sunday School class at church. Every week I tell them the same thing.
God gave us a BOOK!
It has EVERYTHING HE wants us to know.
We need to read it everyday and BELIEVE what it says!
I am not to be anxious. Period.
There is a phrase, bullets have no names, and it's true. A bullet can go anywhere and strike anyone. In the last 9 months, bullets have pierced walls in this neighborhood killing 2 children, ages 3 & 5. Was that God's hand? NO. Can God work through the pain, sin and ugliness of this world? YES! And it is that truth that keeps me calm. I know that God has had us here for the past 15 years and will keep us here as long as HE chooses. Will a bullet come through my wall? I certainly hope not but if it does, I will cling to HIM in my pain and know that HE can work in the midst of it. Again, I'm not saying God causes those things to happen but at times, HE allows pain.
I am thankful for peace. It has taken me a few decades of living to
come to that point. I have anxious moments but overall, there is
peace. It is a peace that transcends all understanding.
Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang! (6 gunshots, about a block away)
I calmly rolled over, picked up my cell phone and dialed 911. After 25 rings (I wasn't real thrilled about that) the dispatcher answered. I reported the shots, told her the estimated direction, gave my name, address and phone number and she assured me a squad would be in the area in a few minutes.
After I hung up the phone, I rolled over and drifted peacefully off to sleep.
Now you may be thinking, "WHAT? You calmly rolled over, drifted peacefully off to sleep, are you crazy? 6 guns shots?" The truth is, 15 years ago I would have said the same thing.
I met my husband during my senior year of college. I majored in Urban Ministries at Moody Bible Institute but by the time I graduated I wanted nothing to do with the inner-city. However, my husband already owned a home in a Minneapolis neighborhood with a bad reputation. The day after our wedding, I moved in and we are still here.
I distinctly remember hearing my first gunshots. A few weeks before we were married, we were over doing work on the house. The shots rang out and I curled up on the floor and cried a bit. In college, I had lived in the city but never experienced gunshots. Although, when the roller bladers came off the ramp at Culby Hall it made a pretty big bang (any Moody people remember that?)
So how in 15 years have I gone from crying on the floor (which is probably what most people would do) to calmly rolling over and going back to sleep. The answer is simple, it's Philippians 4:6-7.
"Do not be anxious
about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all
understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
I teach the 2 and 3 year old Sunday School class at church. Every week I tell them the same thing.
God gave us a BOOK!
It has EVERYTHING HE wants us to know.
We need to read it everyday and BELIEVE what it says!
I am not to be anxious. Period.
There is a phrase, bullets have no names, and it's true. A bullet can go anywhere and strike anyone. In the last 9 months, bullets have pierced walls in this neighborhood killing 2 children, ages 3 & 5. Was that God's hand? NO. Can God work through the pain, sin and ugliness of this world? YES! And it is that truth that keeps me calm. I know that God has had us here for the past 15 years and will keep us here as long as HE chooses. Will a bullet come through my wall? I certainly hope not but if it does, I will cling to HIM in my pain and know that HE can work in the midst of it. Again, I'm not saying God causes those things to happen but at times, HE allows pain.
"When times are good, be
happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the
other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future."
Ecclesiastes 7:14
About the Author: Ingrid
Ingrid lives in Minneapolis with her husband, Dan, and their three silly boys. She blogs at reachingHISkids and has a passion for sharing Jesus and fighting poverty. After earning a degree in cross cultural and urban ministry from Moody Bible Institute, God led Ingrid to the inner-city. For 15 years, she has been intentionally reaching her neighbors for Jesus. In 2010, the story of an Ethiopian widow, inspired her to travel to Ethiopia. She is working with Children’s Hope Chest as a sponsorship coordinator and has the privilege of serving and helping 200 orphaned and vulnerable children. However, she believes the bottom line of fighting poverty is about changing her own heart. James 1:27, “…keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” You can follow Ingrid on Facebook and Twitter.
Ingrid lives in Minneapolis with her husband, Dan, and their three silly boys. She blogs at reachingHISkids and has a passion for sharing Jesus and fighting poverty. After earning a degree in cross cultural and urban ministry from Moody Bible Institute, God led Ingrid to the inner-city. For 15 years, she has been intentionally reaching her neighbors for Jesus. In 2010, the story of an Ethiopian widow, inspired her to travel to Ethiopia. She is working with Children’s Hope Chest as a sponsorship coordinator and has the privilege of serving and helping 200 orphaned and vulnerable children. However, she believes the bottom line of fighting poverty is about changing her own heart. James 1:27, “…keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” You can follow Ingrid on Facebook and Twitter.
