“Do one thing every day that scares you.”
~ Elinor Roosevelt
JOSHUA 16-18
3So Joshua said to the Israelites: “How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given you?
8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.
LUKE 5:1-16
8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.
Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” 11So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.
JOURNAL
God's command is to go and do, from the Israelites taking possession of the land to Peter dropping his nets and catching fish. God is first about faith but then about action. Peter realizes the power of Jesus and is overcome with shame and fear. Jesus rebukes this in telling him not to be afraid.
I have found in life that those two demons (fear and shame) haunt me more than any other. From what I understand about our brains and psychology, these two have a way of haunting us because they are rooted in our primitive brain and can be traced back to some of our earliest memories. They typically put us into fight, flight or freeze mode. .
The command to "not fear" is used over 365 times in the Bible. I don't think this means that we are to avoid the feeling or to suppress it...it means that we are not to allow it to control us. We are to wade through it, face it and ultimately conquer it.
Yet that doesn't just happen because I want it to happen, actions must be taken knowing that I will face fears and circumstances that I will not be able to control. It is imperative that I daily prepare my mind and heart for the reality of facing fear and anxiety. It does not mean distracting myself or surrendering to worry and panic. It does mean surrendering to God, embracing joy and taking action. It is a discipline and as with every discipline there are going to be moments and times when my emotions are going to be contrary to what God asks of me. That doesn't necessarily mean that the emotions are wrong or misplaced but I need to see them for what they are...emotions, that will pass. Through it all, God promises that if I will proceed and walk into the darkness he will be right there with me and will see me through.
I have found in life that those two demons (fear and shame) haunt me more than any other. From what I understand about our brains and psychology, these two have a way of haunting us because they are rooted in our primitive brain and can be traced back to some of our earliest memories. They typically put us into fight, flight or freeze mode. .
The command to "not fear" is used over 365 times in the Bible. I don't think this means that we are to avoid the feeling or to suppress it...it means that we are not to allow it to control us. We are to wade through it, face it and ultimately conquer it.
Yet that doesn't just happen because I want it to happen, actions must be taken knowing that I will face fears and circumstances that I will not be able to control. It is imperative that I daily prepare my mind and heart for the reality of facing fear and anxiety. It does not mean distracting myself or surrendering to worry and panic. It does mean surrendering to God, embracing joy and taking action. It is a discipline and as with every discipline there are going to be moments and times when my emotions are going to be contrary to what God asks of me. That doesn't necessarily mean that the emotions are wrong or misplaced but I need to see them for what they are...emotions, that will pass. Through it all, God promises that if I will proceed and walk into the darkness he will be right there with me and will see me through.
Psalm 23:4
No comments:
Post a Comment