Fear: An Uneven Trade
Fear
has been my close companion nearly all of my life. I know it well. Too well.
I
believe that, more often than not, fear is the motivation behind many of our
actions. Fear that there will not be enough. Fear of pain.
Fear of abandonment. And so we
hold on, white-knuckle tight.
Or
maybe I’m the only one, but I don’t think so.
That’s
why the following hit me hard, melting both my heart and my grasp (Yes, last
week I used a big, long quote, too. Please
forgive me. God keeps sending me these
awesome words and I know they’re meant for you as much as me.).
“You
probably know what you have been afraid to entrust to God. When we surrender our fear, we are offering
it to Jesus. We are saying, ‘This fear
is too much fear for me to bear. I give
it to you because I believe you are good and worthy of my trust.’ When we actively, by faith, lay down our
fears at the feet of Jesus, we pick up his love in return. It is an uneven trade, a heavenly exchange…
“Laying
down what we want to protect or are afraid of losing or are terrified we will
never have is not the same thing as losing those things. It is surrendering them. It is opening up our clenched hand around
them and allowing God access to them and to us.
It is actually saying yes to God for them. Yes to his plan. Yes to his way. It is believing that just as his ways are
higher than the heavens are above the earth so his way for the things we fear
for is higher. This God of ours is a God
of life, of goodness. He is the God of
the Resurrection. We lay down our
fear. We pick up Jesus. He is the only way we can live beyond
fear. He is the Way.”*
Join
me, this day, in unclenching our fists, surrendering our fear, and trading it in for the love of Jesus.
*Stasi
Eldredge, Becoming Myself
Thursday, October 31, 2013
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Busting Fear
“Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed,
for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 is a verse I’ve
fallen back on countless times that carries a battle theme. We’ve all faced or
been through something: death, divorce, disease, drugs, depression, or devastation of
sorts. Some of us more than others; but, it’s the command that precedes this
verse that I struggle with the most, “Be strong and of good courage.” No matter
how many times I’ve been knocked down, dunked under, or “held captive,” my
rebound doesn’t happen naturally.
I
wish I could be more like Jonathan was in 1Samuel 14:8 when he faced the
Philistines. He told his armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of
those uncircumcised fellows (let’s bust fear in the face!—my interpretation.) . . . Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving,
whether by many or by few.” Jonathan knew who had his back—both physically and
spiritual.
Being
the “concrete, black & white” thinker that I am, trusting hasn’t come
easily. Regardless of how many people have told me, “You’re such a strong
person” after recuperating from each of the first three “Ds” mentioned above,
it doesn’t get easier for me. I still grow anxious; I forget to pray first; I
doubt; I let my emotions get the best of me. So, how do I get up, get through,
and go on?
“’Not
by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’says the LORD Almighty.” (Zachariah
4:7) Emerging myself in God’s word on a regular basis helps me to soak up what
I need in times of trouble. By rehearsing then releasing what I know to be true, God's Spirit within me becomes my “Fear” buster.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
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Who’s Your Daddy?
As we are musing about
“Harvesting our Fear” this week, I have a few scriptures for you to mull over:
The fear of the Lord is
the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. –
Proverbs 9:10
The fear of the Lord is
the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. – Proverbs
1:7
The fear of the Lord is
the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
To him belongs eternal praise. – Psalm 111:10
The fear of the Lord is
always the beginning.
Is your fear of the Lord one
similar to that which one would feel towards an angry Dad who is waiting to
jump on you for all the things you do wrong? That’s a fear that is often the
beginning of reciprocal anger….or the promptings of a run-away kid.
Or is your fear of the Lord
one similar to one who has such profound respect for their Dad, that you are
driven to live up to their expectations? That's a fear that might prompt the beginning of a life of loving harder, forgiving faster, and giving grace more greatly!
The fear of the Lord is
always the beginning.
What are you afraid of?
How great is the love the
Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that
is what we are! – 1 John 3:1
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
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When Fear leaves the Dance Floor
Small in stature, her poise spoke power.
He crept around, the unwelcome guest he was. His shoes were laced, though clumsily.
She walked to the middle of the room and began to move smoothly, her toes skimming the floor. He followed her like a snake, sliding his fumbling feet while stretching his arms high. He always tried to look bigger than he was. She sighed with determination. It was a familiar dance.
Fear would follow her often. His great desire was always to bind her movements. When he was there, the room seemed smaller. His leathery hands would interrupt her chaines across the floor. When she rose high, he was there looking down. When she bowed low, he mimicked. As hard as she tried, she found it hard not to look at him. Frustration led to tears. This place of solitude, this place of rest -and he had come to steal both.
"Why is he here?" a soft Voice spoke.
She turned to see His face - but there was no one. Again she heard Him.
"Why is he here?"
Fear was undeterred by the Voice. The dancer knew he could not hear it.
"I did not invite him in," The Voice gently offered. "Did you?"
She stopped and looked at Fear. Of course the Voice didn't invite him. He would never do such a thing. But that left only one culprit.
"I think I did." she answered. It had been so long, she hardly remembered when she opened the door for him to share the dance floor.
"Would you like him to go?"
She nodded.
"Then tell him."
Surely it was not so easy. Without much to lose, she simply whispered to the room, "It's time for you to go."
Fear stopped mid-movement and glared at her. He looked defeated, and slowly sulked out the door.
Upon the quick slam, she heard the Voice again, "This is what I invited you into."
She turned carefully and saw Him at once standing beside her. "Where did you...?"
"I've always been here - Fear tends to block the view. Where were we?"
"We?"
"I have always been dancing with you. It's hard to see Me sometimes with him in the room. But now no limits, little one."
She smiled and took His hand.
"For God has not give us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7
Monday, October 28, 2013
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Harvesting Fear
This week we continue our fall theme of harvest - but with Halloween right around the corner, we thought we'd take some time to talk about fear - and what happens when our fears face our God.
I promise this won't be a ghoulish tale.
Instead, this week we share about the glory of an overcoming Father.
Monday, October 28, 2013
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