Too Close For Comfort

If you haven’t heard, there was a shooting last night – only it wasn’t just in the news. It happened here where I live. My mom and I had been excited to go walking around the lake. About 5 minutes into the start of our walk, I had to use the restroom, like really bad. My mom said we can stop in Louies on our way back.

I was dreading going in there because I was all sweaty and smelly and didn’t want to only walk into the restaurant to use their bathroom! For whatever reason, when we came back around and were in front of the Louies restaurant, the urge was subsiding. Sorry I know, TMI. So we headed said our goodbyes after walking 2-3 miles and exchanged our usual hugs and I love you’s.

I called my husband, Garrett at 5:55pm to meet up for dinner. After dinner at 7:14pm, I get a phone call from my mom. She said, “Heather, there was just a shooting right where we were.” I said ‘what are you serious?’ My mom replied, “A man walked into Louies and open fired at those in the restaurant. Turn on the news.”

We hung up and I watched in shock of the footage right where we were earlier. We even parked in the Louies parking lot across from where the shooter’s car was. From what we heard so far, the shooter was in the tree line near the front entrance of the restaurant. A mom and her girls were walking in when he started shooting. The mom was grazed by the bullet in her arm and a little girl was shot in the tailbone. They were there to celebrate a birthday…

Thank God there were 2 brave men who went out to their cars to get a gun. They asked the shooter to drop his weapon and then gunfire was exchanged. The shooter was killed and around 100 lives were saved. The mom and daughter are recovering.

I’m so thankful that God was watching out for all of us yesterday. I’m so thankful that the mom and daughter are alive. I’m so thankful for those 2 brave men who saved all those lives. I’m so thankful there was a doctor who was able to stop the bleeding for the innocent that were shot until help arrived.

It amazes me how God is orchestrating things in our lives that we aren’t even aware of. To be in the right place and the right time. If it hadn’t been for those 2 guys being there to stop the shooter, what might have happened? How powerful and beyond brilliant is He to be doing this all over the world 24/7. And the love that He has for us to care about the little things in our lives with so many other greater things going on than us. Yet we are equally important in His eyes because of His great love for us.

Sitting in my living room shaken by how close of a call this was for my mom and I, I looked up and saw the wood piece I made that says, “for we walk by faith not by sight.” My constant reminder that God is in control and to trust Him. I was reminded of Jordan Feliz’s song called “Faith.”

The first part of the song expresses how strong our God is and that we have help and can find strength through Him.

“There is no ocean that can’t be parted
There is no mountain that can’t be moved
I know there’s help for the heavy-hearted
The weak will find their strength renewed”

Then the next verse sheds light on the fact that Jesus is our hope. That He is making a way even before we can see it. When things seem like they are spiraling out of control.

“It’s light for the shadows, for all your tomorrows
It’s knowing He’s there through the sun and the rain
It’s when you believe it, before you can see it
And you can walk on ’cause He’s making a way”

Have you felt frustrated and scared like I have with everything going in the world lately? I feel the stress start to overwhelm me. It happens when I place my faith in myself and what I can see and control. But the fact is, we can’t control things like with what happened yesterday.

Instead of trying to control our lives, we need to let it go and give it to God. We can’t run around scared and in fear. Remember that we walk by faith and not by sight. God is in control. 

A Prayer For You