Fearless

I think it was a couple of weeks ago when I came in to the office and saw a little note on my desk from a friend I work with.  She said someone had given her this not long ago and it reminded her of me and she wanted me to have it.  I opened up the note and inside was this little piece of paper.  I immediately teared up because this is one of my favorite scriptures...and she never could have known that.  It has been near to my heart for years.  But God knew.  He always finds ways to let me know He sees me and He knows me...even if it feels like no one else does sometimes.  After I read this, I contacted my step-dad and asked him to take a picture of a drawing I had made that is framed by his and my mom's front door so I could send it to my friend.

 This is a picture I drew years ago when I was going through a very difficult time.  I was praying and I opened up my Bible and read this scripture and instantly I saw a vision in my mind of a little girl standing on a cliff with waves crashing beneath her.  She was reaching up to God's hand and He was reaching down to her.  I felt like I had to draw what I saw...so I did.  Every time I hear or read this verse from that time on, I think of that vision that God gave me.  I sent this picture to my friend to encourage her that what she gave me really meant something to me and God had used her to reach out to me. 

 On the way home that day, I glanced up at my visor in the car and saw this little scripture card that a friend of my mom's had given her to give to me months ago.  Again, there is no way that she could have known what this would mean to me.  It all just came together for me and I knew what I was supposed to write about this time.  The following Saturday I started writing while Axton was taking a nap, but I wasn't able to get much done before he woke up.  Sunday, my pastor preached a message on overcoming worry.  To me, worry and fear are very similar and I struggle with both on a daily basis.  So his message hit home with me.  And it totally fit with what I had already started writing.  This is just how God works with me.  Sometimes He has to hit me upside the head with a brick for me to get the message.  I think that's why it seems like when He really wants me to learn something, He repeats Himself several times in a short period of time...so I can connect the dots...and have a light bulb moment.

The following Monday I started looking all around my desk at work and there are LOTS of positive sayings I have posted everywhere speaking out against fear and worry.  I have a book on my nightstand called Fear Not For I Am With You Always...it's a little promise book with short one page readings meant to encourage the heart and destroy fear.  I have always had this issue, and although I can look back on my life and see many reasons why I probably still struggle with this, I know that I don't have to....nor should I.  Worry and fear are tools of the enemy.  If I let myself dwell on things that make me afraid or worry, my life would be miserable.  I have been there...and I know.  I am not going back there again.  I have to work every day to make sure that I stay away from those negative thoughts.  I have to force myself to take every thought captive.  There is really no place in my life for worry or fear.  It chokes the life out of me...and the joy.  And I don't know about you, but I would much rather live in peace and joy than fear and worry.

The fact is that we cannot control or change anything by worrying or fearing.  Nothing.  Not one little thing.  Crazy then, why we worry and have fear about things out of our control.  What we do have control over, we can work on.  What is out of our control, we need to learn to let go and ask God to take it from us and work on it on our behalf.  When we torture ourselves with, "what if" questions, that's all we are doing!  Torturing ourselves!  Why replay that tape over and over in our heads of what could be or what would have been?  There is no point.  We can't change a daggone thing in the present or the past by guessing what could have happened or what may happen.  It just doesn't work that way.

So....the answer then is to learn from the past, live in the present, and trust God with our future.  Trust Him.  That's a hard thing to do.  Because we want to be in control.  Because we think we have all the answers.  Because we doubt that He has our back.  The truth is...we can't always be in control, we don't have all the answers (not even close), and He does have our back.  He wants good for us.  We are His kids.  The Bible says, what parent wouldn't want good for their kids?  And God is the ultimate parent...if we as earthly parents want good for our kids, why in the world would He not move Heaven and Earth to make sure we are cared for and loved and that every little thing in our lives works together for our good?  That's one of His promises.  And I believe He can be trusted.

So let go of the worry.
Be fearless.
I dare you....