Since making her 15-year-old debut on Duck Dynasty in 2012, Sadie Robertson has grown into an inspirational young woman. The 20-year-old has published two books, sambaed her way to second place on Dancing With the Stars, and now travels the country as a motivational speaker where she gets to “spread her message of positivity and self-confidence to her peers.”
With a list of accolades like that, she basically makes me question what I’m even doing with my life.
Sadie regularly shares devotionals and personal tidbits with her 2.8 million followers on Instagram. But Monday night, the Live Original speaker served up a healthy dose of awareness after being targeted by three men in a white van.
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“Tonight was a very frightening night. I walked out into the parking garage and saw a white van parked beside my car with 3 men that had previously been following me in the mall.”
As a young woman, there are some things that tend to raise red flags more than others. A white van, three men and a parking garage are all at the top of that list.
“You hear this story all the time … I won’t go into the details of mine however I’m very thankful tonight to be writing y’all a message of awareness tonight … let me remind you that scary things can happen at anytime.”
She continued:
“Even though we serve a GOOD God let me remind you that scary things can happen at anytime, because until the day Jesus comes back evil will still be in the world.”
Sadie shared her heart of gratitude, knowing that God is her protector, and that this world—with all of its brokenness—is not her home.
“I’m thankful I do not have to fear anything in the world because this world is not my home, I’m thankful for the big picture, and honestly I’m really thankful for good people. For my earthly dad who answered the phone to calm my Spirit, and for my Heavenly Father who sends His Spirit to comfort me.”
In detailing the encouragement and peace that came out of a terrifying situation, Sadie says it’s the words of songs from Hillsong United, which are scribed on her heart and embedded in her mind, that shut down thoughts of fear when they creep in and try to take over.
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After encouraging those who might feel confused by her Christianese to check out some of her YouTube videos and learn how to experience such protection themselves, Sadie concluded with a strong plea for others to be aware of their surroundings:
“We hear this a lot, but then we also snap chat a lot if ya know what I mean. We aren’t necessarily the most [aware-of-our-surroundings] generation, but a minute of not paying attention tonight could of created a whole different life for me. Be aware, always be in prayer, trust your “weird feelings” (Spirit Checks), and call your accountability ALWAYS no matter how sure you are of the situation.”
Stories like hers circle the Internet everyday—often with a much worse outcome. But it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking we’re immune from such horror.
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Sadie reminded us all that there is evil in this world, and the enemy strikes when our guard is down. May her scary situation be one that we don’t take lightly or write-off because she’s a “celebrity,” but rather use as ammunition.
As Paul says, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:11-12
