A Slave to Fear?

Everyone has fears!  I've noticed that as I get older, my fear list grows.  When I was sixteen, I couldn't swim.  I still attempted to learn to water ski in a very deep lake.  I was scared of heights, but I climbed a lot of tall things.  Now, I get nauseous trying to swing.  As we drive over bridges, I hold my breath as I look at the water.  As we get older, our experiences tinge our views of the world.  For example, one person who is fearless when it comes to horseback riding may become terrified of horses after falling off of one.  My friends and family think it's hilarious when I tell them about one fear I have.  When I was young, a woman in our town was decapitated by a long log going through her windshield from a log truck she was following.  Now, when I see a log truck, I want to move into the next lane immediately.  My husband thought it was completely irrational until he spoke with my father.  When jokingly asking what they think of when following a log truck, my father responded, "Getting decapitated."  He knew two people who were killed by logs on log trucks.  I'm not telling you this so you will develop an irrational fear of log trucks.  I mention this to prove a point.  We all are influenced by our experiences.  My husband has been reupholstering a couch for my anniversary gift.  The last few weeks have been very noisy.  The air compressor creates rumbling through the house.  The air stapler sounds like gun shot ricocheting in our home.  My dog has been terrified.  At one point, I watched my very large dog crawl behind our entertainment center in order to cower in peace.  He is a rescue dog.  We aren't sure what he had experienced as a puppy, but we know that noises such as fireworks, gun shots, and now air staplers really bring fear.  Until my husband unplugged the compressor and put away the air stapler, he remained frozen in fear.  When we were born, we were born to trust.  Babies will lean back knowing that their caregiver will support them.  It's only when that support no longer exists that a child loses that trust. As adults, we've had a lot of experiences and moments that cause us to doubt and fear.  We become slaves to things we know could happen and things that are completely irrational.  This is not where God wants us.  Psalms 91:4 mentions, "He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. NIV"  When we raised chickens, there had to be protection for the baby chicks.  If we separated them from the hens, then we had to worry about predators.  However, as long as they were with the hens, they were safe.  The mother hen would tuck the babies under her wing, so that the enemy wouldn't even see them.  In our times of fear, God calls us to Him.  He longs to tuck you under his arms.  As we focus on His faithfulness, we build our trust that He will be faithful again.  This trust and faith in God shields us from the enemy's attack of fear.  I want to encourage you to no longer be a slave to fear.  Tuck yourself in God's arms and rest.

Have a great week high-heeled warriors!