Due to Circumstances beyond Our Control - Fear (Part Quatre)

Due to Circumstances beyond Our Control - Fear (Part Quatre)

Fear knocked at the door. Faith answered. And lo, no one was there. —Anonymous

OF ALL OUR FEARS, this is my favorite. It just cracks me up.

We fear something that is only in our minds.

It’s true. Some of us are afraid of stuff that only exists in our heads. Can you believe it? Of course you can. You’re probably afraid of stuff you’re making up too! We all do this. I estimate that over 90 percent of our fears and worry are pure fantasy!

Girlfriends, what could we do with this energy and mind power if we turned all the worry from stuff that hasn’t even happened and will probably never happen to thinking positively about our next sixty minutes of living on this earth?

When I was pregnant, I worried Shauna would be born with a birth defect. She wasn’t.

When Scott was nine years old, I was worried he would die from Lyme disease. He didn’t.

When I was engaged to Steve, I was worried our marriage would fail. It hasn’t.

I could list thousands of scenarios I have feared, could paint you grizzly images of Shauna or Scott dead in a ditch, could tell you of the nights I have tossed and turned. The one thing I can’t tell you is how many days of my life I have forfeited to fear—made-up fear. What a waste.

Let’s take the F out of FUD. Every time you begin to worry about something as the result of fear, think instead what a blessing it is to have one more hour to live and make a difference. Why waste that hour worrying? You’re not going to get that time back.

Though I am surrounded by troubles, you will protect me from the anger of my enemies.You reach out your hand, and the power of your right hand saves me.The LORD will work out his plans for my life—for your faithful love, O LORD, endures forever.Don’t abandon me, for you made me. (Psalm 138:7-8)

Eleanor Roosevelt was a woman who wouldn’t bow to fear. She said, “Do one thing every day that scares you.” Yes, she knew that to conquer fear you have to stare it down. And I’m not blinking.