{"id":1020,"date":"2014-02-06T23:37:50","date_gmt":"2014-02-06T23:37:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/?p=1020"},"modified":"2014-01-31T00:10:00","modified_gmt":"2014-01-31T00:10:00","slug":"the-daring-life-we-lead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2014\/02\/the-daring-life-we-lead.html","title":{"rendered":"The Daring Life We Lead"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Image<\/a>
Image courtesy of tio 55\/FreeDigitalPhotos.net<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Driving home one afternoon, I stopped at a stop sign to wait for traffic to clear before proceeding. Across the street and to my left, a woman with a sight dog (seeing eye dog) waited, too. The dog stood by the woman’s side until she began to move. Apparently (at least to my mind), she thought traffic was clear. But the dog sensed otherwise and curled around her legs, stopping her from stepping off the curb. Just then, a car moving very fast turned the corner and sped off right in front of the woman and dog. A few seconds more, a few steps more, and the woman would have been hit. \u00a0Traffic cleared. I waited, though, for the woman and dog to make their steady way across the intersection. Only then did I breathe deeply and move on.<\/p>\n

We don’t have to be stunt people or circus performers to lead daring lives, do we? Driving, walking, even shopping (those heavy carts can mow you down if you’re not careful) – truly our everyday lives can be dangerous. \u00a0And for the person who is “differently abled,” our neighborhoods can be obstacle courses. Even our homes can have places of peril (how long has it been since you looked up and into that narrow cupboard above the refrigerator?)<\/p>\n

Yet, as I saw with the woman and her dog, just because there is danger does not mean we have to sit at home in a corner and let the world carry on without us. We can take precautions, be aware of our surroundings, and know our capabilities and when to ask for help.<\/p>\n

And, we can trust. Trust is key.<\/p>\n

The woman I saw knew she could trust her dog, and she obeyed his intervention when she was about to walk into the street.<\/p>\n

Who do we trust? We might not have sight-assistance dogs, but we have One who is all-seeing all the time. We have the Lord. And if we keep our intention on listening to Him, we can sense the times when He holds us back in order to protect us so that we can move forward.<\/p>\n

There’s a wonderful song called “Unseen Dangers” by Carol Antrum that sums it up: “If you could have seen the unseen dangers that the Lord kept you from today, you would be praising God!”<\/p>\n

Praising indeed! And loudly!<\/p>\n

Blessings for the day,<\/p>\n

Maureen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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She expected to be writing scripts. God had other plans. A few years after her graduation, Maureen was diagnosed with a life-threatening case of organ-involved lupus. Her life turned upside down as she grappled with the effects of the illness and other health conditions that ensued. She was no stranger to serious health challenges; even as a child, Maureen had survived numerous bouts of pneumonia, flu, and other infections. But lupus made her take a fresh look at her life goals - and took herlifelong, strong Catholic Christian faith and writing in a direction she'd never imagined. Today, Maureen writes and speaks about walking with the Lord while living with chronic pain and illness. Her most recent book is \"Don't Panic!: How to Keep Going When the Going Gets Tough (Franciscan Media). She is also the author of, \"Peace in the Storm: Meditations on Chronic Pain & Illness\" (Image Books\/Randomhouse), \"Beyond Pain: Job, Jesus, and Joy\" (Twenty-Third Publications), \"The First Year: Hypothyroidism, Second Edition\" (Perseus) and \"Taking Charge of Lupus: How to Manage the Disease and Make the Most of Your LIfe.\" She writes the syndicated column, \"Living Well,\" for Catholic News Service, and has also written for Saint Anthony Messenger Magazine, Journey for Women Magazine, The Upper Room Magazine, LupusNow, and Arthritis Today. Maureen's health continues to be a challenge, however she feels honored to be able to bring her perspective, from experience and knowledge, to others. \"Good Days...Bad Days with Maureen Pratt\" is a new way for Maureen to reach people who carry the burden of illness and pain in their lives, or who care for someone who does. 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