Fear – Page 2

Just Jump – From Fear to Freedom!

May 24, 2014 by Ellen 17 Comments

“Go ahead, jump!”

“No mama, I’m scared!”

“Just jump! I’ll be right under you. I promise. When you feel like your wings won’t flap any more, I’ll be there to nudge you along! You can’t stay in the nest forever!” I imagine if I listen carefully, I can hear God’s voice telling me the same thing:

Just jump, no need to be afraid! Don’t let your fear hold you back!

But Lord, I’ll fall.

I’ll catch you!

“Henry! Come out of your shell!”

“No, Mama, there’s big people out there. They’ll hurt me!” Ellen, it’s time for you to trust me, and venture out of the safety of your shell. You’ll never grow, unless you do.

But, Lord, I’m comfortable here. It’s safe.

Ellen, imagine if the butterfly never left the cocoon, or the flower was afraid to bloom!

*******

I’m a fearful person. My husband calls me cautious. Safe. Not a risk taker.

I could write a book about all the fears I’ve had. It would have about 100 chapters – maybe more. This blog could be exclusively about fear: Ordinary Fear, with a Splash of Phobia! I’m an expert.

I wish I could offer you a three step solution to dissolve any fears you have. I can’t. I can tell you this: Your fears, and mine, hold us back from the abundant life Christ wants us to have.

We can stay in the nest, where it’s safe and warm and we’re taken care of. We can hide in our shell so that we never get hurt. That’s where Satan wants us. Careful. Safe. Harmless. Never taking risks for the Lord. Never growing. Is that where you want to be? Me either!

I like how the Amplified Bible states John 10:10:

“The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).”

Satan wants to steal our abundance and destroy our lives. Christ wants us to have a life that is full to overflowing!

A few years back, I started stepping out of my comfort zone. I don’t know exactly what changed. I guess I realized life is too short to be safe. I found that when I take steps that stretch me beyond my own abilities, God is going to take me on an adventure! I’ll be scared, but I’ll be soaring!

Ohhh, the freedom of flying when I jump out of the nest! The freedom of stretching out of the shell and not being frightened! Facing fears with Christ, is finding freedom in Christ.

Will I be parachuting out of an airplane anytime soon? Nope, not on the bucket list. Do I always step out in fearless faith? No, sometimes the old fears hold me hostage. But I’m not letting Satan and my fears hold me back the way I used to.

My prayer is that you won’t either…and that you’re not a slow learner like I am!

Go ahead, just jump!

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”

Linking up today with Tell Me a True Story and Holly Gerth Coffee for Your Heart!

Storms

May 10, 2014 by Ellen 21 Comments

The fury of the storm rolled through around midnight, waking me from a sound sleep. Sharp cracks of thunder and bright lightening got rid of the last bit of fogginess in my brain. I am wide awake and alert.

I am a storm watcher. When I was seven years old, a violent F5 tornado devastated our community. It demolished our church, a shopping center and several homes. I grew up practicing tornado drills in school. I was taught that tornados sound like a freight train coming through town, whistle blowing. I know what to listen for during a storm.

As an adult, my fear of intense storms has quieted. However, I am prepared to take shelter when I feel it is necessary. Tonight, it may be necessary: our area is under a tornado watch. But it is warm and cozy under the covers, and I hesitate to jump up and fall to my knees in the hall, doing my best tornado drill pose. I convince myself that it is just a little thunderstorm.

The thunder rattles the walls and the rain is blowing directly into the window. Wind whistles between the house and nearby workshop. It sounds like our house is about to blow off the foundation, like Dorothy’s home in The Wizard of Oz. It sounds like a freight train…

I jump out of bed and hurry to the living room window. I am amazed when I enter the room. It is calm and quiet. I look out at the storm, and see normal rainfall coming down, not the monsoon I had envisioned in the bedroom. The wind is more like a heavy breeze, instead of the F5 tornado I heard in the bedroom! What a difference! My fears calm, and I return to bed to sleep soundly through the night.

The storms of my life are like that. The wind is blowing, the rain is pouring, and thunder drowns out all other noise. It is chaos, and all I hear is the sound of the storm, the freight train barreling straight for me. The tornado can’t be stopped. The debris of my life will be scattered all over.

It’s hard to step away from the uproar. The wind keeps pulling me right back in. Everything is turbulent – my thoughts, my emotions.

What if I walked away, into a different room? And looked out a different window? What if I stepped into the shelter of Christ’s strong arms and watched the tornado?

What if I whispered His powerful name….Jesus.

And He answered “Peace, Be still!” And the wind stopped and it became calm (Mark 4:39).

Jesus said we would have trouble. He won’t make my storms go away, but He will carry me through them. With Christ’s presence in the storms of my life, the calm will come. HE will be my peace!

John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage, I have overcome the world.” (NASB)

Linking up today with Holly Gerth Coffee for Your Heart!

Photography by John Chauvin

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