We seem to be having round after round of extreme weather this Spring. This week's round was a hum dinger. (Remember I wrote this two weeks ago.) My in-laws' former home was among those severely damaged.
There is a part of me that is so thankful they are not here to see their beloved home totally destroyed. My sweet mother in law was terrified of storms as several of my friends are. Looking at these pictures, you have to think--their terror comes with good reason.
We have talked about this before--those phobias--almost irrational fears we sometimes have. In almost every case these fears are learned fears. Those who have influence over us taught us to be fearful. I am not afraid of storms--in fact love to sit and watch the show. That was learned at my father's feet--he loved to chase storms. I do have fears and have had fears I have conquered. After never being alone, I was extremely terrified of living life alone when my marriage ended. With time and experience, I have come to not only conquer the fear but enjoy my aloneness(most of the time). There are still a fear or two that like to sneak up behind me and rule my thoughts. A quick prayer is always the best antidote.
Fear comes from outside stimuli that our brains take in as
What must the people in the war zone of Ukraine be feeling? I cannot even begin to imagine the terror they are living with daily.
Our response to fear (the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain or threat) can be one of three -Freeze--Flee--Courage. I recently read this line ~
"Even the brave were once afraid."
We have all heard the phrase--healthy fear. There are times it is down right smart to be afraid and proceed only with caution. The problem with fear is when it becomes so unhealthy we are paralyzed and can not think of anything else. A good dose of courage helps us to conquer the fears that can rule our lives. I love this quote from our wartime president ~
We are told over and over in The Word - "Fear Not". God does not want us to live in a spirit of fear--but Satan claims fear as one of his greatest weapons. Think on that for a moment. Who will we listen to? Who will rule our heart and mind?
"Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed,
for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
Isaiah 41:10
God ever reminds us to not be afraid. We need to take that to heart!
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Lulu!