Fear Keeping You Up At Night?
It's Monday afternoon and my kids are at swim lessons. I love swim lessons, 40 glorious minutes all to myself...usually I take a few of these moments to read (today's reading is Present and Perfect by Shauna Nieuquist.)
My blissful quiet moments are cut short by a young boy. The panic in his eyes and the way he grips onto his mother as if she is his life-preserver-to-all-things-safe catches my attention.
I'm trying not to stare but the panic in his eyes and his labor breathing distracts me from my book.
Out of fear he runs away from the mother that only moments ago he clung to. As he runs, he trips and scrapes his leg on the hot concrete. With the sun beating down on his skin, hot from morning Texas heat, his panic level goes up a notch. His mother is trying so hard to calm him down. She's using every trick in the book....I can hear the bribery, the explaining, encouragement, and even a few demands.
The boy isn't budging. He isn't. Nothing is going to convince him what he fears most is safe.
The pool. A place where most see fun and delight.
Not to this boy. To him, it must be some kind of torture chamber or a reminder of a place of pain.
Maybe he almost drowned at the pool. Of course, I can't know. I'm simply trying to look like I'm oblivious to what's going on (because who likes to be the object of rubber-neckers).
What makes places fearful for some and fun-filled for others?
My guess is the past.
What we experience shapes our beliefs.
For this boy, what he experienced dictates his perception. For him, the pool is 100%, cannot convince him otherwise, unsafe. The only way for his perception to change is if he has a new experience.
What about you, what are you afraid of?
Make a list.
Reflect on why you are afraid. What happened that produced this fear?
What beliefs about yourself, others, and God have been shaped because of this belief?
And as if this isn't hard enough...begin praying, reflecting, considering what is Truth in the situation.
Start with this truth, God is good, He loves you all the time, and God is good at being God
Here's another: You are worthy. You are valuable. You are loved.
It’s not easy adopting new beliefs. But it’s is possible. It’s a bit like learning a new language. Sure, there’s some awkwardness and it doesn’t come naturally because the words don’t sound quite right…but it is possible. You can change your perception thus changing your reality.
Consider how your reality can change by believing Truth.
I know it would for this boy…he’s missing an opportunity to swim, jump, and play. What about you….? What are you missing out of because of your fears?
Blessings to you,
Melissa
