About the Author

Now graduated from her role as a homeschooling mom of 8, Dawn Camp devotes her time and love of stories to writing her first novel. She enjoys movie nights, cups of Earl Grey, and cheering on the Braves. She and her husband navigate an ever-emptying nest in the Atlanta suburbs.

(in)side DaySpring: things we love
& you will too!
Find more at DaySpring.com
(in)side DaySpring:
things we love
& you will too!
Find more at
DaySpring.com
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  1. Dawn,
    I agree that COVID-19 has played right into our desire to maintain control and avoid pain. Those are natural reactions, but if the fear is so strong that it’s debilitating then it might be a sign that we’ve forgotten who is ultimately in control. God gave us a brain. He intends for us to use it and apply good judgment and common sense. Beyond that, I have to release my fear to Him knowing that His will, not mine, is what is best. It’s only when we apply faith over fear that any sense of peace dwells in our hearts. I’ve been gradually letting fear go and clinging to God’s peace. Queso? who would have thought…
    Blessings,
    Bev xx

    • That’s exactly what I found too, Bev: faith over fear was the only road to peace. Thank you for always supporting us here at (in)—it means a lot! And yeah, queso . . . 😉

  2. Honestly, it had gotten me and my husband thinking more about family. We live in Kentucky and the rest of our family live in Kentucky. We miss them and after having been away from home 4.5 years we are asking God if now is the time to move back and have our kids finish out high school near all their grandparents where the family can see them finish growing up. We’ve had some serious talks and if another shutdown looms or school will be on a laptop again this year why not do it closer to family? We are feeling all the feels right now…

    • This virus really has made us look deeper at things like location and work situation. It’s fascinating to see a whole society—an entire world, actually—have these discussions and make these decisions. Michelle, I pray your family makes choices that will have lovely longterm consequences.

    • Michelle,

      Praying God sends His wisdom to guide you as to the move. We moved a lot when I was younger & all my siblings live in other states 5 hours away. Used to communicate with them all the time. Now that both parents are gone I rarely call. Maybe a text or email here & there. Growing up I didn’t have any grandparents. So being near them would do both them & your kids good. Ultimately it is up to God. Praying He gives you the knowledge to make the best decision.

      Blessings 🙂

  3. Thank you Dawn, for admitting your fear. I too am afraid, though I have gone out numerous times. I feel more afraid of where this world is heading more than the virus. I ask God every time I step out to help my fear and protect me. I don’t want to live in a bubble. I ask God for opportunities to show His love through me as I go to the store or any other place. God bless you and all of the ladies here! Let us pray for God’s strength and Holy Spirit for each day! Be safe, be strong and courageous!

    • Yes, the world will definitely look different, especially for those who have lost jobs or loved ones. As Christians, we are familiar with the concept of an unseen enemy. People’s feelings and reactions to the world as it is now are so different; I see that just among family and friends. We need to understand that and give each other grace. Blessings to you, Trina!

  4. Amen, thank you for sharing. I recently went to Cosco myself and I never thought I’d be so happy to go to a grocery store! 🙂 it was great! The sense of freedom from being inside for so long made me super thankful to be out at that moment. I sense that the gratitude in the hearts of people is growing more and more each day for the simple things we may have taken for granted before. How much sweeter life is when we realize how truly blessed we are to have this freedom Christ has given us. Let’s continue to embrace our freedom, pray for it and stay focused on the heavenly things above.

    Be blessed 🙂

    • I too have become more grateful for small things like hot showers and my morning cup of tea. This slower pace has helped me seek direction in what God wants me to do and not only what I want to do (because sometimes those aren’t the same thing!). Kristine, thank you for the reminder to embrace our freedom while staying focused on Him.

  5. Dear Dawn. I love your reading today. I call God Dr God. I only go the Dr when God tell me too. I trust God for everything I stand on his word the Bible the Promises in it and Prayer. I stand on Philippians 4 verse 19 it says And the same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. New Living translation. That verse God has brought true to Me and my Husband. Especially in difficult times in our lives. God has never let us down. As we both put God first in our lives. Yes we have had our faith put the test in the past. But we had that real peace in God. Because God has always been there and never let us down. We had to in the past this going back years ago pray and trust God with one time my husband was out work. Would we have enough to pay our bills plus give to God and his work. We always give to God first. Our bills were always met. Then in God’s perfect timing my Husband got the job he still has today that is over 20 years. Even during this Covid 19 yes we all can take it. But we keep our eyes on Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. We trust Jesus to look after us. Look at the story that keeps coming to mind a lot too me. From the Bible the Day Jesus fed 5000 plus people with 5 loaves and 2 fish not including the children that would have been there that day. They where there only for one purpose to here the King of the World speak. That King of the World was Jesus. They didn’t worry about Germs or what they catch that day. When Jesus told the Disciples to tell them to sit on the grass. They didn’t care if the person besides them had washed their hands. They all had Sense of Peace because they knew they be safe. They be well looked after. They knew Jesus wouldn’t let anything happen too them. So we as followers of Jesus are to do the same regain our sense of Peace. Put our trust in one who hold the world in his hands because he made it. That is God. Just like the song I learnt at Sunday School when a Child it so true for today even to do with all that going on in our world. It is He Got The Whole World In His Hands. You get it on YouTube. Love today’s reading. Thank you for the work you all do incourage XXX

  6. Thank you for this post and for your last post. I just read that one too. Both of your posts hit the nail on the head of what I have been feeling (although we are empty nesters). My husband is an ER nurse at a hospital where they have had many cases of COVID-19. He tested positive on May 29 and was hospitalized for 5 1/2 days. He has been home and today is the end of our quarantine. I was blessed not to get the virus and also blessed to be able to work from home during quarantine. Instacart and Door Dash have become friends. 🙂 It’s been a lot to process though! Wondering if he would be ok, wondering if I would be ok, would we ever see our families and friends again, would they even want to be near us again? When he goes back to work, will he come down with the virus a second time? Will I get it then? But as you said, I am learning to give my fears to God and be present and live one day at a time. One day I was sitting on my deck and said, “God, we have no control over this situation. We did everything we knew to stay safe. It’s in your hands. All of it. I trust You to bring us through.” And since then, I have been walking in His peace. I’m happy to say that after 5 days treatment of the antiviral drug, Remdesivir, and my husband coming home from the hospital, he’s been fever free for over a week now and is gaining strength every day. Today he actually seems to be back to his normal self with a bit of a cough leftover. I’m so thankful! But no matter what… I know God is faithful and I trust Him!

    • Christy, it sounds like our processes for regaining peace are much the same: give our fears to God and trust. He can handle it. I’m thankful your husband is better!

  7. I’m entering out more too like you after having home deliveries of foods for 2 months. I find it hard in my city as no one social distances or seems to care because our numbers are so low the people have let down their commonsense guard.
    I have a daughter with lowered immune system and I have had pnuemonia 11x so we are at a higher risk. while we have found our peace in simply adapting we are still sad to not to ” jump right in” to society yet .
    our home has always been our sanctuary even before the pandemic we had a peaceful home and enjoyed being home . we have a lovely back yard much like a park & enjoy time together here.
    so even in the midst of the pandemic we had peace , God has always brought nations thru hard times if we just read the old testament hearing how many times the Jewish people lost their homes and fled but God always brings us around to peace.

    • Krissy, I’m glad you have a safe and peaceful home where you can help protect yourself and your daughter. I’m praying for your peace and safety today!

  8. Thank you for this reading today! It is heaven sent! I have been staying at home since March 17th, because of an immune disorder. I have been in touch with my doctor, and she cannot predict when it will be safe for me to return to work. She said that I have to make that decision based on how comfortable I am with venturing back. My workplace has been very understanding. They are all taking the necessary precautions, and it is not every large office. I am the receptionist, but they have stopped all deliveries and people coming in to the building. My job requires going into public places such as post office, motor vehicles, etc. I am been struggling with anxiety about going back, but I need to return. I ask for your prayer that God will let me know exactly when the time is right. I feel it is getting close. He has been with me in all of my struggles in the past. And I know He will be with me again. Help me to trust Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

    • Sheth, what a blessing that you have such an understanding employer. I have learned to ship from home thanks to pirateship.com. That might be an option to keep you out of one public place. Blessings to you!

  9. Thank you so much. I have not been shopping since March; my fiance does the shopping for my home. However, I have the same uncomfortable feeling when I need to wear a mask. My concerns about my grandchildren, especially for the two boys I raise, are overwhelming. How my five grandchildren are going to success in school is always on my mind. About their health and their need for socialization are mine concerns. Future is some what gray. My prayers for them and their parents are daily raised to the Throne of grace as I also pray for all those who are part of my life, like Incourage, friends, and country. God bless you

  10. Dawn,

    I so loved your post. Regarding the pandemic, I’m like you. I’m tired of living in fear. I exercise common sense when out (mask when needed, limit trips), but I’m not going to let it keep me from seeing my friends, not when depression/spiritual oppression has stalked me for the past couple of weeks. Yesterday, we were able to meet some friends at their lake house. It was so good for our souls in so many different ways. I’m thankful for that.

    Thank you for your encouragement.

    • Jennifer, that sounds like a healthy place to be. This has taken a mental health toll on many and it’s important to guard that too.

  11. Dawn,

    This world needed a wake up call. We were on a treadmill running to & fro doing various activities. Making decisions based more on emotions than long term effects. Now we are looking at the frailty of life. We are realizing what is really important. Time spent with God & family. Being around people & actually talking with them. Not just hello but long conversations. It is alright to have some fear. But as Christians we need to take heart for God has overcome this world. He can stop this virus any time He desires. he is ultimately in control. Now is our time to shower this sin dark world with God’s light & love. Thank you for sharing your story & your fear. It helps others to know they aren’t alone.

    Blessings 🙂

  12. Plain and simple, I am missing human connection and feeling isolated while still extremely grateful for my health, my job, and all my blessings! I’m still working but thankfully do not have to go to my office but due to the nature of my work I do come in contact with people every day and while I wear a mask, no one else seems to. I also go to the grocery store once a week while wearing a mask and gloves. I moved to a new place 1,000 miles away not long before covid and i thought i’d be visiting old friends and family often and making new friends and even dating again (recently divorced) but the reality is with covid I don’t do any of that, I don’t travel to see people and people don’t travel to see me, I’m not dating, and the only people i’ve met are people i come in contact with through my job. Not at all what I imagined but I definitely do not feel like it is safe to do anything else. Thank God, I’m healthy but given all the people I come in contact with, I could be a carrier and make someone I love sick or a stranger and it’s just not worth the risk. Lately, I’ve started hiking again, by myself and there aren’t many people on the trails i’ve been to so it’s very low risk. At first it didn’t bother me too much, I had plenty to do to get started in my new place and plenty of things to exhaust me and keep me distracted but all these months later it’s definitely harder and sometimes I just feel really alone.

    • Kimberly, I’m sending you a big virtual {{hug}}. I’m glad you’re able to hike. That sounds so peaceful. I hope you’re able to see people soon and feel less alone. I’ve used the Marco Polo app a lot during this; three friends and I have kept an active conversation there, messaging at all times of day and night and looking pretty crazy in the process. It’s been life-giving.