I’ll admit it.
Sometimes, stress and fear get the best of me.
Sometimes, the reason for the fear is based on circumstances. Like an unexpected bill that makes me wonder, “How are we going to pay for this?”
Sometimes, it’s based on my own personal doubts about myself. Like when I’ve got my work submitted to literary agents and editors. Oh, how I can drive myself bananas with wondering if they’ve read it yet and what they’re thinking…and worrying that I won’t measure up.
Sometimes, my fear is simply based on the fact that the future is unknown…which basically boils down to ME not being in control.
Lately, I’ve experienced fear for all three of the reasons mentioned. But I know that God has not given us a spirit of fear. He tells us over and over again not to fear. But it’s one thing to KNOW God says that and another to actually DO it. I mean, isn’t it often true that when someone tells us NOT to think about something (e.g., Don’t think about a blue elephant.), that’s exactly what we think of?
Thankfully, God never commands us to do something that He doesn’t give us the power to do (with His help, of course).
This week, I read through Jesus Calling, a daily devotional. So many of the messages in that book are exactly what I need to hear. Some lines that popped out at me this week:
- “Pour all of your energy into trusting Me.”
- “Since I am your strength, I can empower you to handle each task as it comes.”
- “Relax in my everlasting arms. Your weakness is an opportunity to grow strong in awareness of My Almighty Presence.”
- “The human mind is the pinnacle of My creation, but so few use it for its primary purpose–knowing Me.”
I love how each of these quotes leads me back to Him. They challenge me to know Him more. If I’m spending daily time in His word, praying to Him, learning more of His heart, then that means I trust Him more.
Trusting Him more means I focus on Him instead of my fears.
It means that, instead of looking at the road looming ahead of me as a scary unknown, I picture it as a windy autumn road–even though I don’t know what lies ahead, I trust that it will be beautiful, because it’s the path He ordained for me.
Your Turn: How do you battle fear of the unknown?
*Photos courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net
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A few notes:
- After two years of blogging, I want to take time to re-evaluate the content on my blog. Because of this, I’ll only be blogging on Mondays for the rest of the year.
- There’s still time to enter my $25 Amazon gift card giveaway.
- There’s still time to enter the drawing for a copy of Dani Pettrey’s romantic suspense novel, Stranded!
"Trusting Him more means I focus on Him instead of my fears."
Wonderful insight, Lindsay.
I battle fear by reciting favorite verses — anchor truths, as I call 'em — and by listening to favorite worship songs. Funny thing, I'm talking about some of my anchor truths over in my blog today.
Love that we're on the same wavelength today, Beth!
Did you write this for me? Haha…I am not by nature a very fearful or worrying sort of person. I tend to just assume everything's going to great. Which is wonderful most of the time. BUT then it seems when I do hit a fearful or worrisome patch, it's all the heavier because of the rarity of it. And I don't always deal with it well. So…I'm thankful for encouragement like your post today to sorta help snap me out of it. 🙂 I especially love the line about pouring all my energy into trusting Him. A lot of times I try to pour my energy into fixing or controlling whatever it is I'm worried about…I'd be SO much better off to put that energy into trusting!
No, I wrote it for ME!!! But I might as well have written it for both of us since, you know, we tend to struggle with the same things. 😛
I battle the unknown by grounding myself in the Known. And tht is the Word. Also, experience. When I experience God's faithfulness and goodness as I go through one unknown, it builds trust with Him and faith that He'll get me through the next one. 🙂
Yes! Looking back at how He's been faithful in the past…that helps.
I'm right there with ya on the nail biting of sending out queries. I'm a striver by nature, so my mind is always doing double time laps around any task/problem/fear. It sounds cheesy to say things like, "focus on the Mountain Mover instead of the mountain" or some version of that sentiment, but that's exactly where His grace meets my doubt. When I remind myself that He's for me, that He's a good Father who delights in giving His children good gifts, then it becomes a little easier to trust. I love the word imagery of the windy autumn road. Again, the maxim, "focus on the journey rather than the destination" can seem like a platitude. But when we truly learn to entrust our expectations of the road ahead into God's hands, we really do experience enjoy along the road of all he has for us. Thanks for the reminder.
Not cheesy at all! And I love what you said here: "But when we truly learn to entrust our expectations of the road ahead into God's hands, we really do experience enjoy along the road of all he has for us."
Lindsay,
I have to speak the scripture, the promise reminding myself that God is bigger than whatever fear is trying to attack. Speaking it allows me 1) be reminded that God is in control 2) He's not a man that he should lie — He keeps His promises and 3) I can crawl up into my Daddy God's lap and know he understands how frail I can be.
Hugs my friend!
Alena's comment is so powerful. Speaking God's word, and knowing it, is the only way to battle fear. So many things speak to us during the day. We need to make sure God is speaking to us above all the others–and we do that by hearing His word.
Praying for you as you wait! I pray God's great blessings hound you!