Fear Drives Us To Action

What do you most fear?

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Seriously, stop reading right now and write down what you fear. Specifically. This is important.


Likely the first thing on your list has something to do with those closest to you. Our family relationships are the most significant part of our lives and the place where our minds most often park.


Since becoming a mother, my greatest fears always have to do with my children, and my heart has expanded with their expansion. Now it’s [I’ll just say it: ‘worry’] over our two children, their spouses and my grand babies.


I’m most passionate about seeing them thrive. First in their faith, and then in all other areas. There is not much I wouldn’t drop to help them when they need it. I’ll be awake in the night for hours when they are facing crisis, my face in the carpet, praying.


I do this because I know two things. 1. I am powerless. and 2. I know God and I know He hears. And in knowing Him, I’ve learned that perfect Love does indeed cast out my fears. I just often need to wrestle my way back to believing it when things “don’t appear to be going right.”


Fear is a large and forceful undercurrent that continually fuels action.


Sometimes I forget God and take action on my own, until I find it not working so well. More often now, the action I take is to go directly to my knees.


So often we try so hard to block fear, we want to stop fear, to NOT FEAR. After all, God continually said it, I’ve heard, like 365 times in scripture – one for each day of the year . . . “Do. Not. Fear.”


So formerly, I felt guilty at every sensation of fear. Which meant I felt guilty every single day of my live-long-life. And then I’d sing that song in church, “No guilt in life, no fear in death, this is the power of Christ in me . . . ”


And then wonder how to get rid of not only FEAR but also the GUILT.


But during a season of teaching a Sunday Bible study, I came to realize that the reason God says it so many times is he knows we FEEL it every day. Especially in the face of say, an angel. [For the record, this hasn’t happened to me personally.] Or as we see an impending proverbial cliff up ahead that others are not seeing.


And I realized God’s “Do not fear” is more of an encouragement and a reminder of His promise, “I Am with you to help you.”


And I lost my guilt over having fear.


I do still hate the feeling of fear.


But have come to embrace fear as a friend – if . . . IF I harness it’s presence as an impetus to turn to God in prayer, who can remind me “Do. Not. Fear.” And then I remember He. Is. Here.


In the light of the painful realities of the world in which we live, and in having access to the large, but foggy window of social media, and becoming increasingly aware of our own powerlessness, I’ve noticed the same online.


Fear for our [own] well-being, for the well-being of our families, and for our society as a whole, fuels the online [often brutally ugly] arguments dialoging. [I’ve seen both good conversation . . . and ugly, hostile words]


So I just want to encourage you today by reminding you,


The antidote for fear is prayer and trusting God.
[And often need a praying friend to go to the throne on your behalf.]
The antidote for all the ugly arguing is knowing, turning to, and trusting God.
The antidote for all things really.


You already know what I’m going to say, don’t you?


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