Last week our family went camping up in the mountains - our last hoorah of summer. The drive was gorgeous. A few hours into our trip, we passed a sign informing us we were 16 miles from our destination. Twenty minutes and we’d be there.

As I looked around at the mountains I noticed an odd plane flying low in the foothills. We’ve had a dry summer in Idaho with many grass and forest fires. I wondered if there was a small fire in the area they were trying to put out.

The road wrapped around a curve and we saw it. A huge cloud of smoke was pouring out the side of the mountain (actual photo from iPhone above). It looked like the beginnings of a forest fire. The crews were arriving, assessing the situation and awaiting their orders. It was an eery feeling as we drove closer and closer. My first instinct was to turn around and head back towards Boise.

I mentioned this idea to Mark – sixteen miles seemed a bit too close. Our beetle-infested trees are kindling for a fire. Fear emerged as I imagined the worst. Mark reminded me that the roads were still opened and if it were too dangerous the forest rangers would evacuate us. So we drove on and arrived at our campground. Mark went to sign in with the campground manager. It was taking a while so I joined him to see if there was a problem.

Mark had an odd smile on his face. He looked a bit nervous actually. It was the same timid expression he wears when he’s about to tell me something he knows will set me off, ahem, I mean make me a little upset.

I joined the two men and the campground manager turned to me, “We’ve had bears visit the campground every night this week. The berries froze this year and they are hungry. Now they’ve discovered human food and they want more.”

Uh…

“It’s just black bears but last night one raised to it’s hind legs. That’s a sign of aggression. So keep your site clean and your dogs in your tent. Oh and bundle up. It’s going to be a low of 25 in a few nights.”

Now I love the outdoors – it’s our escape. However, there is still a part in me that is pure city. At that moment the city girl in me was quickly emerging and I was moments away from informing Mark I wanted to go home.

We turned and headed back to our car where our 7 and 9 yr-old were waiting for us. They were giddy. This was the trip they had waited for all summer. I didn’t want to take it from them. Was my fear a protective fear from God or was it my flesh wanting to flee and take the easy road?

We decided to stay. That first night it took a while for me to fall asleep but I finally dozed off. A few hours later I’m abruptly awaken.

“Git on outta here! Go! Git bear, git!” bang, slam, bang

I couldn’t breath. I felt paralyzed. The bear was a couple sites over. All that separated us was space and a thin piece of material.

Our dogs began to growl. Should I shush them or let them bark?

I woke Mark. He kept us quiet. Moments later I heard a similar commotion at a site behind us. Oh no, he’s moving around!

I’ve never felt such a pounding fear before. All of a sudden I had an urge to pee. The clashing of these two sensations was not pleasant. Yikes! The minutes ticked on then all was quiet. The bear was gone and so was my sleep.

The next morning we talked about the bear at breakfast. The kids had slept through the whole ordeal. However, they thought it was cool, an adventure. Go figure.

Fear is a powerful tool. It can give us that fight or flight response. It can also paralyze us. All three responses can be healthy but they can also be unhealthy and unproductive. We can be deterred from what God has in store for us or where He is leading us.

This camping trip was a blessing. We bonded over our bear stories. We sat around the campfire, cuddled and fought off the frigid cold. If we had fled like my first instinct, we would have missed all of these memories.

Wisdom is required with fear. Jesus feared the Cross. He could have fled but he didn’t. He had spent the previous night in prayer so He knew what was required of Him. He fought off the fear and because of it we all have been bonded together as a family.

How does fear affect you? Any stories on how God has used it in your life?

Any advice on how you decipher fear?