Sunday Reflection: In the Dark

My second phobia is the dark, spiders being number one. I’ve never liked walking in the dark because I can't always see what's out there.  When my puppy Millie stares into the darkness of the backyard, trancelike, past the chain link fence, I imagine all kinds of things, and my permanence is joggled. Could it be a werewolf, murderer, or a bear? I allow imagined fears to invade my brain which activates emotions--making me a nervous wreck.  

Imagined fear lessens our strength.

 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)

It’s difficult to navigate this life, wondering if you’re doing the right thing, taking the right path and all the while remaining upright as bad things happen. I'm always reminding myself that worrying about things before they happen is ridiculous and a huge waste of time. Fear has its purpose, but it's not to prompt worry.

Worrying requires a lot of effort with no reward. But when I choose to trust in God's ability to navigate my life, his peace washes over me and worry dissipates. 

 

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NJKV)

Blessings,

Teresa