Mudpies

This may be a weed to you, but to me it spells 'm-u-d-p-i-e-s'. In the Midwest we call it 'Queen Anne's Lace', and it was the key ingredient in the luscious concoctions my sister and I made when we ran out the back door to play in the forest behind our house on summer afternoons.

We grew up in an innocent era when our moms shooed us outside to play, and we'd spend the entire day roaming the neighborhood. The only restriction in our family was we had to be back by 5:00. Or else.

But man, those mudpie afternoons. . .when I think about how simple and carefree life was in those days, it seems like another person might have lived them. Not only has my life changed dramatically over the years, but it seems the whole world has changed. It's a lot scarier for kids and parents alike. If I was a young mom today, I don't know if I'd let my kids ride their bikes to school or play in a park unsupervised. Heck, I don't know if I'd let them walk down a hallway alone!

Sure, we fought far-away wars overseas, but no one worried about neighbors kidnapping children out of their own bedrooms or snatching them from the school bustop. How could you ever have even conceived of a plane flying into a building on purpose?

If I had known a little botany back in those days, I might have had a healthy respect for the lowly, lacey weed called Queen Anne's Lace. Turns out, it is not only a type of wild carrot, but it's also a dead ringer for poison hemlock! Gulp. What if I had actually EATEN those mudpies??

But if I give in to the terror of unknown evils lurking behind every corner, I become a prisoner of fear. God desires us to face our world with grace and courage, not with fear and trembling. He alone can give us that calm assurance that we can face each day with confidence, knowing we are infinitely loved and that we matter eternally.

"The LORD is the stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid?" Psalm 27:1