With the doors of my SUV wide open and the radio blaring I danced with total abandon.

I twirled in the high grass overlooking the majestic Montana countryside.

(Call me crazy, but that was my way of escaping the pressures of life.)

Lost in the moment, I wandered off until I found a magnificent boulder with a panoramic view of the valley below.

All dancing ceased as I sat transfixed by the splendor of God’s creation.

The peaceful moment was soon interrupted by an uncomfortable feeling.

You know, the uneasiness you feel when someone is watching you?

I toppled off the rock and scrambled back towards my vehicle.

My mind whirling with fears that I hadn’t experienced on this hill before.

They were fueled a few feet from the open door of my vehicle,

lying in the path between paw prints was fresh animal excrement that had obviously been left since I wandered off.

Much to the dismay of my family, we learned later in the week about a mountain lion that had been spotted locally.

Slain deer were soon found not far from our house.

There is a vice that grips your heart when you come face to face with a moment of potential danger in your life.

Your mind is bombarded with all the “what if’s”.

1 Peter 5:8 ” Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” suddenly became a reality to me.

Except the lion wasn’t roaring.

That is day to day reality!

The lion IS NOT roaring.

We would be alert – totally aware of all our surroundings if that were true.

Broken relationships, lost jobs and health scares may not topple us off our solid foundation.

So, how do we face life – the daily trepidations that seem to sneak up on us with silent footfalls crossing our path?

Fear  of the future in an unstable economy,

Security for our families  and multitudes of  health concerns.

Fear of being unable to find the right person to share your future?

A fearless faith can only be found in knowing where your faith is established.

If your faith is in the economy, or people, or even a long healthy life here on earth

your life will be shaken.

There will always be “mean girls”, another guy will break your heart, jobs will come and go,

Tumors and chest pains may suddenly appear,

But with fearless faith we can meet them head on.

I wish I  could promise they would never come, but my own life disproves that.

I recently had the privilege of hearing Taya Kyle (Widow of Chris Kyle, American Sniper) speak.

She talked about how their family placed their faith in God, first and foremost.

Was their life easy? Not even close!

Did she get her Happily Ever After? Not by our Fairy Tale standards.

However her poise and faith were enviable.

I want to live like that, how about you?

“On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand!”

Unshakable faith!

I hope you dance with fearless abandon whatever life may bring!

We can strive for our Happily Ever After with the awareness that there is a lion prowling around.

Some days we will escape unscathed,

The other days we will face with

Fearless Faith!