Good morning, everyone. It's Thursday morning, 3 AM here at the cypress swamp cabin overlooking the Red River in Shreveport, Louisiana. After the calming rain and clear skies of yesterday, there's a new kind of quiet this morning. It's the kind that allows fears to whisper, even if they're quickly dispelled by the light of dawn.
Last night, after our little mix-up, Uncle Bill apparently spent a good part of the early hours worrying. I'd been in Uncle Jerry's room, catching up and enjoying the quiet, but when Uncle Bill went looking for me and I wasn't where he expected, his mind went straight to the worst. He started conjuring all sorts of scenarios in the dark — that one of the many Bayou monsters might have attacked and carried me off, specifically fearing the Rougarou had finally made good on its terrifying legend, taken me from the cabin, and killed me. He even worried I might have been rushed to the hospital.
It highlights how quickly fear can take root in the darkness, how easily our minds can conjure up the most terrifying "what ifs" when we don't immediately see what we expect. Uncle Bill's worry, as intense as it was, reminds us of the burdens we often carry, and how our anxieties can spin out of control.
But in these very moments of fear and uncertainty, whether for ourselves or for those we love, the truth of God's Word shines brightest. It reminds us that we are never truly lost or alone, and we are invited to lay down our heaviest burdens.
God is There: Psalm 139
First, when fear whispers of disappearance or danger, we turn to the profound comfort of Psalm 139. This chapter is a magnificent declaration of God's omnipresence and His intimate knowledge of us:
"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast." (Psalm 139:7-10)
For Uncle Bill, imagining me carried off by a Rougarou into the deepest parts of the bayou, this scripture is a powerful rebuttal to fear. There is no place, no dark swamp, no hospital bed, no danger so great that we can be separated from God's presence. He is there, always. He knows our going out and our coming in. He knows where we are, even when others forget or fear the worst. This truth is a bedrock of peace against the anxieties that swirl in the 3 AM dark.
Give Your Burdens to the Lord: Matthew 11:28-30
Knowing that God is always there with us, even when facing real or imagined monsters, empowers us to respond to another profound invitation. Jesus Himself offers this comforting call in Matthew 11:28-30:
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Lousanna Monsters
Uncle Bill Worring about me and other things bugs him deeply!
Uncle Bill's worry was a heavy burden, a weight of fear about potential horrors. In the quiet of 3 AM, or any hour, we often carry similar anxieties – about our loved ones, our health, our future. Jesus doesn't ask us to tough it out alone. He invites us to bring all our weariness and burdens – including those terrifying "what ifs" that haunt the imagination – and lay them at His feet. He promises rest for our souls, a peace that transcends understanding, even when the Rougarou might be lurking in the shadows of our minds.
This Thursday morning, as the bayou begins to stir and the light returns, let the fears of the night dissipate with the truth of God's Word. Because He is intimately there with us, watching over us, knowing every fiber of our being (Psalm 139), we can confidently come to Him and give Him all our burdens, even the most monstrous ones, and find true rest for our souls (Matthew 11:28-30).
I wanted to get this out to you all now, as the day is already beginning to stir. I might not be able to get back online later today, so please know you're in my thoughts and prayers. Have a blessed Thursday.
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