For some, fear of the dark might be a real thing. For others, perhaps it’s something as benign as a spider, or even a bee. Yes, those things are rather minor when speaking of overcoming fear, but no matter how well someone tries to explain away them away, the uncomfortable feeling may still remain.
What about fear of injury, disability, or even death? This category of fears won’t be so easily defeated! While we usually carry these fears in the quiet recesses of our minds, for some, the fear remains in the active part of the brain.
Living in constant fear can be overwhelming, leaving some to sink into very lonely places within themselves. If left unchecked, those fears, accompanied by negative thoughts that surround them can be debilitating. The idea of existing in fear all the time sounds exhausting! So, how can we avoid it?
You know that old saying, mind over matter? I think that’s the secret! The brain seems to have a nasty habit of taking a thought and just running away with it, so to speak. I don’t think it matters what the fear is, or even how real or imagined it may be. We, as humans, have a tendency to overthink things, quite often.
Now, I’m not talking about having a healthy dose of fear to keep us physically safe from avoidable injuries, and/or mistakes.
The fear I’m referring to is the kind that we’ve built up in our minds over something that may or may not ever occur, in the near or distant future. Those are the fears that we most often find ourselves wallowing in, and constantly revisiting. Out of the blue, we realize we haven’t been worried about a thing for a while, so we pull it all back out of the box we’d been storing it in, and start the worrying once more.
What’s the one thing that helps, when we feel overwhelmed with fears? In my opinion, it’s having someone that can make us feel protected, and safe from our fears. But, is there even such a thing?
I spent my entire childhood on the streets, sleeping behind dumpsters, or sometimes in the bed of a stranger. I did what I had to do to survive. The only reason I could brave the dark alleyways was from my fear of the adults in charge of my care. It was far more dangerous in some of the foster homes I’d been placed, than it was in the bed of a complete stranger. So, I grew up with an actual absence of fear, where it probably might have offered more protection.
When I was 17 years old, I found myself at a cross-road. I was tired, lonely, angry, and wanted out of this world. That was the first time I met a fear that I could not master, within my own power. It was the fear of what came after death, since I was considering a way to take my own life.
In a dusty old attic, within a rickety old farmhouse that stood beside the sea, God spoke to me clearly, as if He were standing right there in that room. He met me in that place, asked that I believe in Him, and promised that He would never leave, nor forsake me. I accepted His offer, though it was more like I demanded that He prove it! He would have to earn my trust. I know, I know, it was an unreasonable demand. But, do you know that God took my demand, and has delivered it a thousand fold, over the years.
Now, when I look back over those seasons of my life, it’s clear to see God’s hand at work, even before we made our little seaside pinky swear. I am here, simply by God’s design, to be used for His own purposes. My eternal home is waiting for me, with my room already prepared.
Armed with the truth of who my Creator is, the blood of His precious son Jesus Christ that covers me, and the hope and faith in my future eternal heavenly home… my fear has been replaced by FAITH!
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