In 2019, my dog Leo and myself embarked on a perilous journey by the grace and mercy of God. We uprooted our lives in Minnesota and hastily and temporarily moved to Colorado so that Leo could receive possible lifesaving cancer treatments.

As I look back on that time, it will always be a month to remember because it was a total surrender to God’s will and purpose. I had to leave all doubt in my mind, and completely trust in Him that He’d help us survive the month. Why a dog, you might ask? Well in my case, Leo was the symbol to my new life God granted me, a true blessing. And I wasn’t going to just trash that blessing for selfish means, God was leading me. God made it known to me that Leo was not to be taken for granted as I have done in my former life with a previous dog.

The feeling of putting all this trust in God was pretty much like driving blindfold without your hands on the wheel. It was ALL Him or we would crash and after the initial natural anxiety, you settle in and enjoy the ride. You see, some SAY they trust God, but this is only realized when He puts you into a situation where you put up or shut up!

2 Chronicles 20 comes to mind. The Israelites surrounded by their enemies from all sides were put to that test. God told them they couldn’t help, all they could do is cheer Him on with song and instruments. Joshua and his congregation before Jericho for example, they would march around the gates of an enemy deadset to kill them because God told them to trust Him. Peter walking on water, and then sinking because he started to doubt is another example.

Now I am not saying I am some sort of awesome Christian, that I by myself exerted this trust. The fact is, my natural tendency was to grasp the wheel, to pull the blindfold off and help drive the car so to speak. So that trust didn’t come from me! It came from God. I cannot for a second take ANY credit or applause for trusting God. As is also the case in those biblical examples I mentioned, it wasn’t the Israelites, it wasn’t Peter, it was ALL God by His providence, mercy, and grace to give this supernatural trust to people totally UNDESERVING of it.

And without that trust in the December of 2019, where would I be? I would be a broken miserable person, regretting everything. And let me tell you something about this trust He grants, when and if you receive it, as Psalm 23 states “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me”. These WORDS ARE FULLY REALIZED DEEP IN YOUR CORE, YOUR VERY SOUL!

Until you do walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you will not know if you fear or not fear evil. Again, that TEST of whether you trust God where you truly do not fear or yourself where you are totally fearful. So pray for this trust from God! Without it, you WILL surely fail. Do not EVER think, “I can do this on my own” or in my analogy “I will drive the car without that blindfold and help God”, because He will leave you up to yourself and again, the battle is lost before it even started!

Although at the time, I didn’t know what God’s purpose was, I know now it served as a witness to others! That unconditional and total surrendering yourself to His Dominion will never fail you!

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me