Fear-He is a Liar

Isaiah 41:13
For I am the Lord your God
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you.

I thought I was going to drowned.

Our neighbors pond was nestled in the middle of a field. As teenagers, I'd get together with my next-door friends, Cheryl, Brant and Mark, and we'd swim on those hot summer days. One day we played in the water, as usual, but something wasn't right. I'd swam out from the pond's bank, and I couldn't get back. I don't know what happened. I may have gotten my foot caught on something, for whatever reason, I got pulled under and couldn't get my bearings to stay above the water. The happy ending to the story—Brant jumped in and pulled me out. Ever since then I've feared putting my head under the water.

When I swim in the pool with my grandkids, I keep my head above the water. Because of that fear, I don't really swim. I know how, but I lost the desire. I love to splash and walk around in the pool, but I am afraid to go under.

Fear is vicious. Once it grabbed me, it wouldn't let go. The sad part is, I fear a fabricated "what if" that MIGHT happen.

This year has been difficult to say the least. When I went to the doctor's office the other day, I had an overwhelming fear of touching any surfaces. I've not experienced that until COVID-19. I have a feeling I'm not the only one. As I sat in the patient room, I asked God to help me, to calm my nerves and give me peace. And he did.

Instead of living in a state of fear, I want to live in peace. Instead of fear, I choose to trust the God of the universe, who cares for me more than I understand. The Bible says love casts out fear. That's God's love for us. His love pushes fear out the door.

I'm not sure I'll put my head under the water any time soon, but I know if I do, God is with me. That's comforting.

His love brings peace.

I fear a fabricated "what if" that MIGHT happen. Click to Tweet

What I learned from the Hobbit: part 2

Since January 1, I’ve read several posts about choosing a word for the year. When I first pondered this, no particular word came to mind. Then I saw on Facebook that someone had chosen the word “fearless” last year. When my eyes fell on that word, I knew that God wanted me to adopt it for 2013. Now I’ll admit, choosing a word like fearless scares me. I’m sure you get the irony. But, I also know that perfect love casts out all fear.

You may wonder what this has to do with the Hobbit. If you’ve read the book or watched the movie, then you know that Bilbo Baggins was not known for his bravery or his sense of adventure. Even so, he tucked away his fear and left his home behind because he wanted to help his new found friends. Thorin and the other dwarves doubted him more than once. But he reassured them. “ I know you doubt me, I know you always have, and you're right. I often think of Bag End. I miss my books, and my arm chair, and my garden. See, that's where I belong; that's home, and that's why I came cause you don't have one.. a home. It was taken from you, but I will help you take it back if I can.” Instead of hiding behind his fear, Baggins stepped up and put the hopes and dreams of his friends, before his own comfort.

J.R.R. Tolkien said that, “Living by faith includes the call to something greater than cowardly self-preservation.” As I venture into this new year, I ask God to give me courage and to take away my fear. God has set a task in front of me. He wants me to join him on this wild adventure of writing and publishing. Like Mr. Baggins, I need to get out of my own way and follow my heart.