God Doesn't Need Life 360
Dear Friend,
If you know me very well, you know I have a part of me that loves to try and control things, I’ve named her Marge.
Marge likes to be in charge.
She honestly believes that if she thinks through every possible outcome, prepares for every imaginable problem, and keeps a close enough eye on the people she loves, somehow they’ll be safer because of it. Bless her heart...she works awfully hard. The only problem is that Marge forgets something very important.
She forgets that someone else is already in charge.
This week, Jacob and Julie packed up a truck, hooked up a U-Haul trailer, and began the long drive to Montana, where Jacob will spend the next year serving as a vicar. He’s lived away from home before. College. Seminary. We’ve loaded cars, hugged goodbye in parking lots, and prayed our way through more than one move. But this goodbye felt different.
Not because it was farther away.
Because it was longer.
Because every new season asks a mama’s heart to trust God in a new way.
Like many parents these days, I have Life360 on my phone. I don’t spend my days watching it, but every once in a while I’ll glance down just to see how everyone is doing. As I looked that morning, I noticed Jacob and Julie had been sitting at a gas station for nearly an hour.
That was all the information I had.
One little blue dot that wasn’t moving.
Unfortunately, that was all Marge needed.
Within seconds, she’d written an entire story.
What if the truck broke down?
What if the trailer came loose?
What if something happened and they can’t call?
Isn’t it remarkable how quickly our minds fill in the blanks? We don’t actually know what’s happening, but fear is a remarkably creative storyteller. It loves unfinished stories because it gets to write the ending.
I almost called Jacob.
Instead, I called Troy.
He knows me well enough to recognize when Marge has quietly climbed into the driver’s seat.
“I noticed that too,” he said. “I think the app probably stalled. If something was really wrong, Jacob would call.”
Then he said something that settled my heart.
“Let’s not worry about something we don’t even know the truth about.”
After we hung up, I put my phone down.
Not because I suddenly knew everything was fine.
I didn’t.
Not because every question had been answered.
It hadn’t.
I put my phone down because I remembered something far more important than where Life360 said my son was.
God didn’t need Life360.
The Lord didn’t need a GPS signal to know exactly where Jacob was. He didn’t need a cell tower. He didn’t need my son to check in. The One who knit Jacob together before I ever held him in my arms hadn’t taken His eyes off him for a single second.
The One who loves my son even more than I do already knew exactly where he was.
Later that afternoon, I sat quietly with Jesus and asked myself a question I’ve learned to ask whenever my mind starts spinning.
Michelle...what are you really afraid of?
As I listened, I realized this wasn’t really about a truck or a trailer or even a stalled app.
This was a new chapter.
For the next year, Jacob will be building a life in Montana. I’ll still be his mom, but I’ll be mothering him from farther away than I ever have before. My mama’s heart is learning something new, and new things often feel uncertain before they become familiar.
That realization changed the conversation I was having with myself.
Instead of trying to force the fear away or feeling ashamed that it was there, I simply brought it to Jesus.
I didn’t hand Him a cleaned-up version of my heart.
I handed Him the truth.
And He met me there.
Friend, perhaps you don’t have a Marge.
Or perhaps you do, but she doesn’t spend her time checking Life360.
Maybe she tries to control the future.
Maybe she worries about a medical test.
Maybe she replays conversations long after everyone else has forgotten them.
Maybe she believes that if she thinks about something long enough, she can somehow prevent it from happening.
If that’s you, can I gently remind you of something today?
You don’t have to be in charge.
You never were.
The God who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. He never misses a detail. He never loses track of the people He loves. He has never once looked away from you or from those you hold most dear.
Long before Jacob ever started the truck that morning...
God was already on the road.
Long before your child drove away...
God was already there.
Long before tomorrow arrives...
God is already present.
That doesn’t remove every uncertainty.
But it does remind us where our certainty has always been found.
Not in knowing what tomorrow holds.
But in knowing the One who already does.
Sit With Him
Where has fear been filling in the blanks of your story lately?
Is there something you’ve been trying to control because it feels safer than trusting?
What might it look like to put down your own “Life360” today and remember that God has never taken His eyes off the people you love?
Which promise of God do you most need to hear today?
Pray
Dear Jesus, when I forget who I am, remind me that I am Your beloved daughter. Hush every voice that tries to speak louder than Your promises. Teach me to rest in what You have already done for me and to trust that I am safely held in Your capable hands. Amen.
I’d Love to Invite You
If this story resonated with you, I hope you’ll join me for my free online workshop:
What If There Is Nothing Wrong With You?
🗓 Thursday, August 20
🕖 7:00 p.m. CST
We’ll spend an evening exploring why so many Christian women quietly carry shame, worry, perfectionism, and the exhausting belief that they must hold everything together. Together we’ll discover the freedom that comes from resting—not in our ability to manage life—but in what Christ has already done for us.
If you can’t attend live, don’t worry. Register anyway, and I’ll send you the replay.
In God’s peace and joy,
Michelle
P.S. This essay was written by me with the help of AI.
I use AI much like a developmental editor or brainstorming companion—to help me sharpen ideas, strengthen flow, and polish language. The stories, ideas, and final edits are my own.