Running In Fear

            

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigfoot

             When I was about thirteen we lived in the country in a nice community.    There was a trailer park just down the road where I often babysat.  There were lots of stories going around at that time about Bigfoot.  One night, scheduled to babysit, I left my home and walked out on the road, toward my destination, which really wasn’t uncommon.  But this particular night, there was an overcast sky, with a slight breeze.  The night was remarkably quiet.  I sensed something watching me and picked up my pace.  Just a moment later I heard the leaves rustle in the wooded area on the other side of the road.  I was startled, and then I was no longer walking fast, I was at a run.

           Fear has a way of making things more vivid than they really are.  Little ones are often afraid of the dark or of being alone in a room or being frightened when momma leaves the room.  Even as children grow, fears fade or get squelched and new ones develop.  For some there is the fear of beginning school.  Just this Fall my little granddaughter was horrified at the thought of going to that great big school all by herself and spending the entire day away from her momma and sister whom she never left before.  

            As teenagers there are more fears and adventures, even if they are mixed with excitement.  There are driving tests, career choices, relationships and more exhilarating decisions intermingled with fear as life moves forward.  Fear, like pain is very much a part of life.  But when fear paralyses us to the point of thwarting our ability to accomplish the challenge at hand, it can become a real problem.

            I remember the day my second daughter was in a car accident.  I shook with fear, as tears ran down my face, overwhelmed by the thoughts racing through my mind at all the “what ifs.” Thank the Lord, she escaped with a broken wrist, even though the car was a complete disaster, since it rolled.  My fear, before I finally saw she was all right had the potential to devastate me. 

            Many people face the fear of failure.  Given our economic situation, finances are becoming an ever increasing area of failure as people lose their jobs, homes and for some, even their self respect as frustration turns to anger; anger to bitterness and bitterness to bad decisions.  But sometimes failure allows a person to grow.  I believe not trying is worse than failing.  Good, unexpected things can come from an attempt that didn’t turn out quite like we wanted or planned.  I am convinced that God will use our failures for his benefit when we let him.

 As we get older we face the concern of illness or aging, and ultimately even death.  While I can say for the moment, illness isn’t an issue for me personally, I can see it in my family and it’s hard on everyone.  Aging is a process we don’t have control over on one hand, but I truly believe attitude and life style has much to do with the process.  As for death, I can honestly say I am not fearful.  I won’t say I want to leave my family and friends behind just now, but I do know where I will spend eternity and that brings me all the comfort I need should the event take place.

I guess my question for you today would be, “Of what are you fearful?  Is it aging, finances, failure, death?  If death were to find you today, tomorrow, or next week, do you know where you will spend eternity?”