Have you ever experienced paralyzing fear? A fear that immobilizes you and keeps you from moving forward oftentimes goes unaddressed. Therese Borchard says, “Fears are like annoying relatives. You can’t avoid them forever, and ignoring them won’t make them go away.” It is just as important to know when it is time to face these fears.
On a recent trip to Chick-fil-a my daughter showed some signs of being afraid of the person dressed up as the cow. Even though she was only one and a half, I thought it would be better to show her that the cow was nothing to be afraid of. Dr. Phil has his own take on facing fears (and I certainly don’t agree with all of it), but he recommends differentiating between rational and irrational fear. Most of our fears are irrational, but there are others that are for survival and are instinctive.
I would never advocate as fear as our guide, rather I believe we should be kept in perfect peace while navigating through discernment. We should discern our season and know if God is leading us to face our fear at this time. Earlier this week I was talking to a volunteer about visiting our kids in Walter P. Taylor Homes. He said, “That’s a scary place, isn’t?” To natural eye, I guess it could be thought as such, but when God has called you who really can be against you. I am not talking about being foolish, presumptuous, or cocky. Rather, through faithfulness and love watching God’s favor grow in a community, and over the past 16 years that is what has happened in Walter P.
Remember, fear fights faith and neglects the love of God. The love of God, however, drives out those fears (deem them rational or irrational). Join me in striving to enter Christ’s rest, keeping our minds on Him in perfect peace, and allowing the love of God to drive our all fear!
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