Putting Fear in Its Place
[su_spacer]Growing up in my house meant we passed around fear like outgrown clothes. Fear of conflict. Fear of drunkenness. Fear of failure. Fear of fighting. Fear of rage. Fear of abuse. Fear of rejection. This fear created great insecurity. This fear spoke lies over us until we believed the lies as truth and couldn’t tell the difference. This fear brought forth deep-seated emotions of unexpressed anger. I do not remember being able to process my fear – EVER.
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So here we sit today—fear all around us. Fear of the secret enemy called the corona-virus or COVID19. We are isolated. It has interrupted our lives. It’s caused us to lose our jobs and to question our future. It is reframing our lives in a way that can be very unhealthy if we embrace the lies associated with this fear.
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So let’s examine this today. Let’s put this fear in its place!
Let’s join together arm in arm and fight this fear with the truth of who we are and whose we are!
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You see, fear is real. It’s an emotion our Creator gave us. Fear as an emotion is not the issue. Fear controlling our thoughts, reframing our focus, and bringing us into captivity is. So…what do we do? How do we put this fear in its place and soldier through this period in our history?
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If you are an introvert, you might be reveling at this moment. You love the fact that you have a reason to stay hidden away. You gain energy by your alone time. If it weren’t for the fact that you might have a deadly disease or your loved ones could suffer this, you might be on cloud 9. The fear of getting the disease or having someone you love to get it lingers in your thoughts constantly. The ideas of suffering for yourself or those you love weigh on your mind, and you cannot seem to come to grips with the fear that is tightening around your throat.
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If you are an extrovert, you have received a lengthy prison sentence with no chance for parole. You immediately began to think of ways to escape this sentence and pay no consequences. You want to make it clear that you do care for others’ safety and wellness, but you must keep moving to combat the emotions of feeling trapped. For some of you, your creative side is working overtime. You are creating virtual events in your sleep! You fear you might not complete what God has called you to. For some of us, we start making the lists of things to keep doing. We paint closets, pick up paint by number kits, dream of the future, and make plans continually.
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What if, during this time of great crisis,
God is calling His people to be still. (Psalm 46:10)
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Even for some of you introverts and you extroverts who spend most of your days hiding behind your social media page –
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[su_highlight background=”#99e8ff”]Could our God be calling us to stop? Put down the phone. Stop looking at your laptop. Rest. Read the Word. Read a good book. Watch a movie together. Play together. Play a game with your kids. Enjoy time with our family. Pray more. Pray longer. Memorize scripture.[/su_highlight]
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So, during these days when we ALL have lost our control of things. Let’s as ministry leaders. Be still and let the God of this universe be who He is.
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He is our only hope. He is the only One who can deliver us from the grip of this deadly enemy. So let’s breathe deeply strength from His Word. Let’s meditate on His Word and let His Word give us the strength to sit, walk, and stand in the coming days.
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Praying for you always,
Be Strong and courageous ladies, He sees and knows where you are!
Love, Diane
