Settling the Heart

Some of us are natural-born worriers. My mother was one; she passed the gene on to me. For those afflicted, any and everything can become a source of anxiety. There are the “normal” things to angst over: “Are my kids going to ‘make it’ in life?” “What if something horrible happens to my husband?” “Will there be enough money to get to the end of the month?” Then there are the foolish worries: “Scientist report that there’s an object hurtling through space. They thought it was an asteroid or a comet but it has a peculiar trajectory and is shaped like a cigar. Could it be an alien ship coming to invade us?”

For us natural-born worriers, almost anything (like the idea of aliens) can start us on a free-fall decent into the lairs of fear. It would be nice to say it’s irrational, silly and just “get over it.” But for some of us, it takes work.

“And when I was burdened with worries, you comforted me and made me feel secure.” (Psalm 94:19, Contemporary English Version.)

It takes calling to mind that fear is (as someone has said): “False Evidence Appearing Real.” It takes a conscious, concerted effort to lay aside the “maybes” and “what ifs” and focus on the One Who is really in control, the One Who loves us so much that He allowed His Son to die a brutal death so we can be free from the bondage of sin and, yes, fear.

Fear is bondage. When we fear we’re bowing to the idea that what we f.e.a.r. has more power than the Creator of the universe. That is a lie out of the pit of hell. Just as we want our children to live without fear, our loving Father wants us to live in peace, resting in Him, knowing in the very deepest part of our heart and mind that “He’s got this.”

And He always does.

(C) Debbie Lowe, 2018.

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