368 | Katie Davis Majors | Safe All Along

So there are times in your life, and we've all been there, when you are kind of panicked. And in those moments, that's when we often, like, cry out, God help me, God save me. What do I do? All the things surface. But if we could just lift out of that panic and see what God sees and get his perspective on it, maybe panic wouldn't always be our go to. So I'm super excited today because if you ever have had those experiences, if you haven't, you will. We all will. It's. You really need to tune in today and make this. Make this imperative to listen into this message, because God has you. No matter what you are facing, what you came out of, what you're going into, God has you. And Katie Davis Majors is going to be here talking about her book, her experience, which. Guys, you got to listen to this. It's amazing. And just this message that you're safe. Katie, I am so happy that we get to hang out today. I love hanging out with you. Thanks.

I'm excited.

Oh, my goodness. You're just a vibrant spirit. I love your dedication. I love what you're doing, not just in your ministry, but just the message that you've embodied for people. And when I saw your new book that has come out safe all along like that, that just that concept of maybe you're safer than you think you are at the moment, I was like, I got to get you on the show to talk about that because can you just share the backstory, share what happened to help give you that revelation?

Yeah. So I guess for the last five or six years, our family has just had kind of storm after store, you know, whatever you want to call it, just a lot of different kind of emergencies and crises. And of course, there was like, the pandemic, the lockdown, kind of right in the middle of all our personal stuff. And so as a person who had, like, never really experienced much anxiety, suddenly I found myself in this place of feeling so anxious all the time. We had adult children who were transitioning to college, and not only. I mean, that by itself is a giant transition, but we were actually living overseas, and they were transitioning to college in the United States. So, yeah, big, big transition.

Transition. Yeah.

We had a couple medical things that came up, and then we had, you know, a ton of travel restrictions. It was just a lot. And I just started living out of this place of fear and anxiety and worry all the time. And I think intellectually I knew that we have these commands in scripture and these instructions of, like, do not worry about anything, right? Jesus says that, do you worry about what you will eat or what you will wear, or about your life? Paul says it repeatedly, do not be anxious about anything, but instead, through prayer and petition, present your request to God. And so I was reading these things and I was trying to teach myself how to not be anxious and it wasn't really working. And then, you know, several years into kind of this journey and exploring with God, like how, how do I not be anxious? How do I more fully trust? He gave me just this really cool picture that is the premise kind of for the whole book. Our family was on a camping trip and we love to camp, we love to kayak, we love to canoe, we love to swim in the river. Our kids were older, so it's like a fun way to adventure together. But my daughter and I had jumped into the river in a place that we had swam before. And the current didn't look very strong from the shore. But either it changed when we got in there or we had just underestimated, underestimated it. But pretty quickly we realized that we were stuck in this current and instead of being able to swim back to the shore, we were being swept very quickly downstream. And we didn't know what was up ahead. We knew that there were some waterfalls somewhere in the distance, but we didn't know how far. And so we had this terrifying experience. Well, I thought it was terrifying. My adult daughter who was in there with me was like, wow, that was.

Fun for any mom. Any mom who's listening will say 100% Katie, that that is terrifying.

Yeah, so it was super scary. I was trying with one hand to try to get myself out of the water and trying with my other hand to like grab onto my daughter, who was further out, and pull her up with me. And long story short, eventually I was able to pull myself out of the river, but she was swept further down, kind of around the corner where I couldn't see her anymore. And so, of course, talk about panic. Mother's worst nightmare. I'm freaking out. I'm calling out to Jesus. I'm imagining every worst case scenario that I'm going to have to go back to the campsite and tell her siblings, like, I lost her in the river. And I mean, I'm sure it was only a few minutes later. It felt like so long that I was sitting there. But really, just a few minutes later, I heard footsteps come in from the other side and saw her yellow bathing suit. And she was there. She had gotten out, she was fine, but just all the emotion that I had felt in such a quick amount of time, right, to go from having fun to just totally freaked out. And so I held it together for a few minutes, and I went and found my husband. But of course, like, when he hugged me, I was just like, it's, like, all over again. Yeah, I was stupid.

We shouldn't have got in.

I'm so sorry I did that. And my husband said, hey, I want to show you something. And he took me up a little bit higher. We could go up on this hill, on this bank that overlooked the river. And when we were standing there, we could see all these things that I had not been able to see when I was in the river, right. And so in the river, I was, like, eye level with the waves, Right. All I could imagine was that there was danger up ahead. But when we got up to the top and we could look down, we could see, like, the whole path. We could see that. Oh, there was a little place over here where we could have gotten to safety. There was a place over here where there was a bay and the water was a. A lot more slow. And we could have swam out there. There was an island that we could have kind of swam over to. And so there were a lot of places where we could have been safe. And as I was standing there, I felt like God just kept impressing these words on me. You were safe all along. And I started looking back at the last several years of my life and all the pain and all the hardship and all the things that my family had endured that had really caused me so much anxiety. And just realized, like, yeah, that was hard, but, like, here we were on family vacation, and we were all okay, and truly, we had been safe all along. And I just kept thinking about, like, how much joy had I missed out on? Yeah, much of God's goodness had I not been able to see in the last few years because I did not believe that I was safe. I did not believe that God could see the whole path and the whole plan that he had for me. And I felt instead that I had to control it, and I had to make sure that my family was safe and I was responsible and whatever. And so God just really used that day and that picture I kept. Even after we left, you know, I kept coming back to it in my mind. We'd been safe all along. And we actually had a couple more really big things happen over the next year for our family. We ended up unexpectedly moving to the United States. And so, again, there were lots more opportunities to Panic and worry and feel anxious and feel like I needed to control everything. But going back in my mind to that picture of, like, okay, I am here. I am like me, stuck in the river. All I can see is my very little limited picture of what's going on. I have really limited perspective. I have a God who sees the entire picture, the whole perspective. He knows all the twists and turns of my life. And so how do I live out of that knowledge? And so just began asking God, like, God, would you show me how to live? You know, in Philippians, when Paul says, do not be anxious about anything, but instead, you know, present your requests to God, he says, and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. And I was just convicted. Like, I am not living like that.

Yes.

Not living with my heart and my mind guarded by the peace of Christ. And I think so many of us are not living like that. We are worried about so many things.

Stress is just kind of our go to it. Just like, not even like, well, if I'm not stressing out, then I must not be doing life seriously. I must not be, like, proving I'm enough. And like, stress is not even optional anymore. It's like, well, we. We're characterized by it. And here's the thing. What? Like, stress is optional. And just like you said, peace is optional as well.

Right.

And so we get to choose which one we want to opt for. Do I want to hold this anxiety? Because that's just really. That's saying that I'm God, I'm controlling this, you know, and planting ourselves in that truth that, wait, if he knows the plans that he has for me and they're good, and if all things do work together for good, then maybe I can rest in this place where I'm safe. Like, I think that's one thing. Because anxiety always is revealing the extent to which we don't feel safe in a situation.

Absolutely. And so I just began asking God, like, lord, would you show me how to live in and walk in peace as a daily choice that is reflective of the fact that I trust you. Because when we can choose to walk in peace, we're choosing to trust God. We're choosing to say, okay, I'm not in control of this. And that can feel really scary. But actually, it's much better that God is in control of this. And so that is kind of the premise of this book that I just wrote, say Follow along, that came out recently. It's really like, my journey of Kind of walking through with God. What does it look like to live as if I know that I am safe? What does it look like to live with a peace that guards my heart and my mind?

That we have to have that peace or else we are opting for anxiety. And anxiety is just like this anesthetized word that we've given. Fear. Yes, it's just fear, but it sounds much more professional and that we earned it. Or something like, oh, I just have anxiety. No, you're afraid. And fear is not of God. Like, perfect love casts out fear. So that perfect love, if we know that he loves us, it's not so much I love God, but it's knowing the love that he has for us that is what casts out fear. Because we know if God loves me, then he's got me and he's good and I can trust Him. But one thing you said, I want to go back to this because you said daily. And I think this is what we need to camp out in. Because when the situation arises that is potentially stress inducing, if we haven't built up a pattern of trusting God, we're always going to go into fear. So it's not like, well, I'm going to practice this in those circumstances that are anxiety provoking. No, we've got to do this every day. It's like when, when we have a cavity is not when we start brushing our teeth. You know what I mean? It's like, no, we need to brush our teeth all the time so we don't have the cavities or the gum disease or whatever. And so it's like maintaining our walk with God. And what does that look like for you? Like it maintaining that trust walk so that when situations come out, which inevitably they will, you're like, God's got it. I'm good. I'm safe.

Yeah. I mean, I think number one for me is just spending time in his word. I feel like about a year ago I was really convicted because I felt like I was calling out to God in prayer and like, not hearing back from him and just like, okay, like. And we've all had times like that, right?

Yes. Oh, I must have to fast for two weeks.

Just like, don't he, Like, I don't hear you. Where are you? And I felt like the spirit just kind of gently nudged me and said, like, hey, unless you're like reading God's word, you can't, you can't actually hear from him. Right. And so the more time I am spending in the Bible reading God's Word, memorizing God's word, knowing what he says, the more quickly that when I ask him about a situation, I can call to mind those words that he has already given me in scripture. And so the more, you know, it's just like with our best friends, right? I have, I have a best friend that has been my best friend since my early 20s and we did so much of life together. And often I can kind of know how she's going to answer me. Like when I'm about to tell her something, I know what her response is going to be because I've spent so much time with her and we've done so much of life together. The same is true of God. The more time we spend getting to know him, getting to know his character in His Word, talking to him, praying to him, the more quickly we're going to be able to call to mind his words in our anxiety provoking situations. And so me, for me, like a lot of it is just retraining my thought process and when my thoughts start to spiral into like, well, what if this and what if that and what should I do about this? Yeah, I can stop and say like, okay, you need to ask God about this. God, are you anxious about this? No, no, I'm not. Okay, okay, that's good. You know, God, what do you have to say to me about this? Right? And call to mind scripture that I have been memorizing or that I have been reading or open my Bible, you know, and say like, okay, God, what do you want to show me about this situation, about this thing, about this day? And I do think, just like you were saying with the brushing your teeth, like, the more we're making that a daily habit, the more we're just feasting on his word and letting it indwell us. Then when the anxiety and fear provoking situations come up, we have this firm foundation to fall back on. Right? And the same is true of prayer. You know, I think I very much grew up in the culture of like, you know, you have your quiet time in the morning and then like done for the day. And I love to have quiet time in the morning on the mornings where it is quiet in my house always. You know, it's beautiful on the days when I can get up and get my coffee and get my Bible before other people wake up. That's awesome. But it can't end there, right? Like I'm talking to God in the car, in the grocery line, in the line, right. All the time, just having that connecting point all throughout the day. God what do you think about this, God? What do you say about this, God? Remind me who you are in this situation. Remind me. I am in this situation. And so that has been definitely, like, the foundation, really learning to walk in and embody his peace.

You know, I think we overcomplicate this thing. Yeah, a lot. And I think that's almost like, you know, the enemy wants us, to our mind, to go, well, this has to be hard. This has to be complicated. And a loving father would never make it hard for us to live a joyful life. And I think part of that is, like, just open your Bible. Just.

Just.

If we just had a routine of feasting on his word and letting it get in us. I mean, Jesus even said, abide in me. Let my word abide in you. And because apart from me, you can do nothing. So with him, we can do all things. So that should, like, right there. That's what we have to understand. That abiding is 24 7. It's not like. I think sometimes we're like, we want to, like, segment our time with God. Like, this is my prayer time in my Bible time. And now this real, real life, you know, and I have to deal with the struggle and the hardship and manage my calendars. If we just, like, stopped dividing it and started letting that abiding presence be with us all the time, I think that if we can turn that into a routine and a practice, then when those situations come up in the, you know, with the rushing water and with the fear and with those situations that we can't see past because we're in it, then we can already go to that place that we know that I. That God's over this. He's got this. I'm safe.

Yeah, absolutely.

Because we can look back and say, well, you know, you made it through every hard time you've ever gone into. You know, like, you. You made it through that. So you've proven that not only are you strong and powerful, but God in you can do all things. So now moving into whatever life looks like, you're safe. It's just that safety of knowing it's good. We're covered, man. I just think that would just relieve so much stress. What would you say to someone right now? And I think it's harder for moms, honestly.

My goodness, yes.

You know, because it's not just. I mean, we're never worried about us. Like, we worry about us until the time that we're moms, and then we're, like, at the bottom of the totem pole. Because now we're worried about all of our kids.

Yeah, for sure.

And sometimes I think moms wear this like, badge of worry. Like, I'm a good mom because I worry about my kids.

Yeah.

You know, like, if we didn't worry about our kids, that we would, we wouldn't care.

Something's wrong with us.

It's wrong with us. Right. But I think that that's where we can understand what if God's love for them is even more than my love for them?

Right. And I, like, I really believe and know and could say, like, I have known God more deeply and more intimately because of times of hardship and suffering in my own life. And not that I liked those times, but that I can clearly look back and go, like, oh, God really grew me there and he really grew me here because of hardship around me. And yet when it comes to my kids, I want to prevent every hardship and every struggle and every. I don't want them to suffer. I don't want them to have hard things. But at the same time, I'm like, Katie, God wants to grow them in the hard the way that he grew you in the heart. And so instead of trying to prevent every bit of suffering from my children, which I'll never be able to do, how do I teach them to seek the Lord in their times of struggle?

Yes, girl, you are preaching now. That is every mom's struggle is we want to prevent any struggle for our children which like, we have all the evidence. Like, we can all look back at a painful time in our life and say, I would not trade who I became as a result of that pain to have pain free existence. I would have not traded it. Because you become someone different, you become wiser, you become more resilient, you become more loving, more compassionate. But yet with our children, we are like, oh, but they can't do it. I need to keep them safe and I need to keep them pain free, which means I want to keep them from growing. So that time of release, of allowing our children to face struggle and step out of it so they can learn more about God. Yes, that's the big one. But we don't. It's hard to do as much.

Yes. Because I mean, no loving parent wants their kid to hurt or wants their kid to suffer. So it's, it's that hard wrestle of just like, you know, walking them through it and pointing them to God in the midst of it instead of feeling like we have to prevent it all.

Yeah, that's so powerful. And I think that's where we, like, in order to be able to navigate those times as a mom, we can't do that without knowing God's grace for us and his love for us. And we want. We don't want to prevent that for our children. So that is the hardest place a mom can get to, of saying, God, I'm going to release my grip on this for my child and allow you to do what only you can do in them. That is, that has to be intentional or we will get our fingers in the mix as much as possible. But I can say with all of my kids, every single struggle they had to go through, I. I would try to manipulate. Like every mom gets in there, they try to manipulate, right. And I would find myself doing that and then have to take a breath and say, God, I'm just going to camp out in belief. Not my behavior to try to change things, but my belief around what you're doing in their. And who they are becoming as a result. And I'm not going to move from that and let you do your work. And I can tell you, Katie, and I will tell every mom out there every time it has yielded something so. Ephesians 3:20. Something so exceedingly, abundantly beyond what I could ever do. Yeah, I love that. Let go.

It's so hard, but.

It's so hard. But I love this about your message is we're safe all along. And they're safe all along.

They are. Yeah. And I mean, I just, I feel very. I feel it's true. We can't. We can't say, okay, God, I trust you with everything, but this kid, this situation, this thing, Right? Like, do we trust him really or do we not?

Yeah. And that's where we have to decide. Either God's everything or he's nothing. Because those are the moments that he's like, who am I really to you?

You. Right.

Like, am I just convenience to you or am I your. Am I everything to you? And when he becomes everything, that's when we need to learn to breathe and let go and trust that there's something greater going on here that maybe we can't see around the corner yet. Elevate to his position and we'll see a lot better.

Yes.

Katie, thank you so much for this message. This is. I'm so glad you just. Just the way that you operate and you share openly about your own struggles and just encourage other people out there. So where can people go to get more about you and get a hold of your book?

Yeah, sure. So I have a website, katydavismajors.com and so there are links on there to everything. There's also amazima.org Amazima is the ministry that I founded in Uganda and our family still gets to go back and forth a lot, but we also have amazing staff on the ground in Uganda that are doing the day and day out work. And so people can get involved with Amazima on the website as well and then buy the book, really anywhere. Whatever your favorite retailer for books is, you should be able to buy it anywhere books are sold.

Thank you, Katie for being part of this.

Yeah, thank you.

Absolutely. Be blessed like crazy.

Thanks.