The other night, Mike and I stayed up way too late watching the American Ninja Warrior episode we had previously DVR’d (the contestants finally being in Las Vegas and all). 🙂  By the time we were finally climbing into bed for the night, we were startled to hear a loud crash outside our window!  Two seconds later we heard running feet taking off!

Now, I can’t begin to tell you how creepy it is to be startled by a loud crash outside and hear RUNNING FEET!!  We both froze, then asked if the other one had heard the same, and Mike was up in an instant! “Stay here!  Have your phone ready just in case…” he said as he got up to start investigating what was going on!

Okay, um…wait for it…

“Aaaahhh!!!  Have my phone ready?!  Ready for WHAT?!!”

“Don’t go out there!!”  I frantically whispered to Mike!!  I was just concerned someone might get hurt out there if he went outside…NOT HIM, of course!  I know he can defend himself…I was looking out for the intruder’s safety!  😉

As my brave husband disappeared into the darkness of the hallway, I did what anyone else would do in my position…I quickly recalled to mind every creepy alien movie I’d ever seen on t.v.!  Then I started worrying, followed by some replaying of the creepy “running away feet sound” in my head…till I was good and afraid!  Yep…that about covers it.  🙂

Two minutes went by.  Then I heard the running feet again!!  YIKES!!  It sounded like a small person was running in our back yard (that makes it even creepier somehow, doesn’t it?!  I know!! )  It just sounded like two feet…not four…I’m just saying!

Now, I also have to tell you…if this same thing EVER happens to you… I think you should know that your sweet and wonderful brain (the brain that during the daytime helps you get through your day) can suddenly become the worst of TRAITORS in the middle of the night!  It lays out a welcome mat for your imagination to take over and begin to play tricks on you!!  I’m just saying…I wasn’t expecting that. 🙂

I was trying to calm myself with rational explanations like… “a person would not run THAT fast… it’s probably raccoons in the backyard trying to get into the garbage cans…it sounded like two feet, but it was really four feet…” but I was so freaked out by the running feet that I allowed myself to become afraid.

Picture me sitting up in bed… in the dark, holding my cell phone, and just shaking with fear.  God suddenly interrupted my thought life…PHEW! Just in time!!   I suddenly began to ask myself why I was so afraid?  Is God asleep and not able to help us?  Of course not!  So, I began to pray… yeah, I know…what a concept!  😉  If only that had been my FIRST reaction!  I then looked in my Bible App and read one of my favorite Psalms…Psalm 91…and I read it out loud there in the darkness.  As I read it, the words soaked in, and I noticed that I began to stop shaking. As I read, it was like I suddenly remembered that the God of the Universe was bigger than whatever was outside…even if it was only silly raccoons!! I had forgotten that important fact as I was listening to everything that fear had to say!!  I began to recall to mind His goodness, His promises of protection, His incredible love for me, and I MADE my brain surrender to the TRUTH of God’s word.  

I began to feel like I was armed.  Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is alive and powerful.  It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow…”  In that moment, I decided to trust God and not be afraid…and guess what?  It worked!  It was a battle of the mind, I won’t lie…but I came out victorious!

Mike came back after a while (he had turned lights on outside, looked all around…double checked doors, windows…all of that) and had found no trace of anything.  Whatever was out there had left.  It took me a while to fall asleep…my mind kept listening for the sound of running feet…but each time I felt fear trying to creep back in, I shoved it out with the word of God. “You will keep me in perfect peace because my mind is fixed on YOU” (Isaiah 26:3).  “He who watches over me will never slumber nor sleep.”  (Psalm 121:4)…and the next thing I knew it was morning, and I had slept in perfect peace. 🙂

We think it was raccoons, or some other animal who jumped our fence and ran up the hill.  We did some investigating in the morning and that’s what it looks like.  We will never know for sure (and I’m a little embarrassed that I got so fearful over a few little animals…sometimes we fear the dumbest things, right?), but what we DO know for sure is that God is bigger than any fear and His word is a sword that we can use anytime!