Jim Leinbaugh

I thought it was just a ridiculously rude telemarketer. I mean who calls at 3am? I have been getting an un-godly amount of calls passing on the great news that I've been pre-approved for a new loan, or that I qualify for a home security system. So I just ignored the call. When I got around to checking my phone the next morning, I was greeted by a somber message, "Sir, this is Lt.Col ********* We regret to inform you that your son has been in an accident..."

In case you haven't picked it up by now, all three of my sons are serving full-time active duty in the United States Air Force. (My daughter has plans to become an officer so her brothers have to salute her!)

My oldest, the tech nerd, maintains all the computers and systems that aid aircraft in takeoff and landings. Other than climbing the occasional tower, it's a nice dependable job in the shop all day. My youngest, the borderline OCD, maintains stealth craft. Incredibly detailed work.

The middle one though. He's the one who hangs out the side of his HH60 Pavehawk helicopter and and lays down multiple rounds from his 50cal to keep his crew-mates safe from enemy attack. He's the one who gets deployed. He's the one who calls every week or so with, "So did I tell you how I almost died yesterday?" (He's a bit of a story-teller, prone to exaggeration, we hope.)

Yes, as a parent, you need to learn how to let your kids grow up and forge their own life. Middle kid? We have to put him in a box. A mental box... labeled, "God, you've got this, right?"

So when I check my messages early one morning, only to hear, "Your son's been in an accident," it was very tempting to rip the lid off that box and have a bit of a spiritual crisis.

Yes, he's alive. For the most part, in good shape. But as the details came in over the next several days and weeks, those caveats simply should not be. We should have lost him forever in that Nevada desert. But we didn't. Because the reality is, that box... Yes, God's got this.

That doesn't mean everything always works out. People get sick. Some die. Bills don't always get paid on time. Marriages don't always survive. My own life has had more twists and turns than I can even comprehend.

You see, here are two certainties about life. One day that call with come. Not necessarily that your son fell out of the sky. But somehow you'll get that "bad news" call. Maybe about your kids, or your spouse, or job... And secondly, when the metaphorical phone call comes, you can't put it off forever.

So whatever has you stressed out, just put it in that box. Not the box you put on a shelf and pretend doesn't exist. That box that is filled with all the things we really can't control anyway. Put them in the box labeled "God's got this" and trust that you can do anything with the power of Jesus giving you strength. (I'm pretty sure I read that somewhere.)