Life’s Greatest Fear
I would argue that for most people the greatest stressor in life is the fear of the unknown. Think about what you might be worried about at the moment: Work? Money? COVID? Kids? Schedules? Illness? Family? The list goes on and on with daily stressors that cause us moments of angst, headaches, stomachaches and restless nights.
Generally people do not like to be surprised or taken off guard. We don’t like change and we definitely don’t like to be pushed outside our comfort zone. But why? If you think about the reason we don’t like those things, it’s mostly because those moments cause us to not know the next step. We can’t see “the plan.” It’s not what we thought would happen and we don’t like it. We get worried that this stressor will mess up everything or we get mad because what we thought or expected to happen didn’t happen. We are afraid of going “into the unknown” (this is where you cue your best and loudest Elsa voice).
It doesn’t take but opening facebook, turning on any news station or talking to co-workers for this fear to creep in. We are constantly told about things that didn’t go as expected (otherwise it wouldn’t be newsworthy). School closures, crowded hospitals, vaccination percentages, car wrecks that close the highways, war, crime, restaurants closing early, changes to this policy…..I could go on and on about the headlines that pop onto my phone daily – all moments that can cause me to worry and stress. Moments that change what my expectations were or alter my normal routine.
And if we are honest with ourselves, it doesn’t take much to upset us.
Friends, worry is normal.
Getting upset is normal.
Fear is normal.
Grieving what could or should have been is normal.
BUT……. (and that’s a big BUT)
You can not live in fear.
You can not stay worried.
You can not continue to fret.
You simply can not.
It’s not good for you.
It’s not helping you.
And you weren’t created to.
You aren’t meant to carry that weight every day.
You can’t possibly handle all these emotions.
You need help. I need help.
Every day.
Every hour.
Every minute.
Every second.
Okay, I want you to take a big deep breath here. I just told you that fear and worry are normal feelings, but I also just told you not to fear and worry. Excuse me, but how do I do that?
It starts with tapping into a power not our own. It means we ask for help. And I’m not talking about help from friends and families (no offense, but they don’t have any more answers than you do). I’m talking about help from God Almighty. The God who created the universe. That same God created you.
He knows your heart.
He knows what makes you scared.
He knows your fears and worries.
He knows what is going on in the world.
And He hears you.
He loves you.
He cares for you.
He wants to help.
Practically when we find ourselves in moments of fear and worry, praying should be our first thought, but it’s hard when our minds are usually focused on ten different things at once. And when I start to express my true and raw emotions to those close to me, I’ve been asked more times than I can count, “Have you prayed about it?” We tend to let our emotions and feelings get the best of us and we fly off the handle, get ready to fight or give up, put on our jammies and crawl into bed with a pint of ice cream. Admit it, you’ve done one of those once or twice in your life. I have and still do, too.
But, what if we learned to slow down in those moments, take a deep breath, and chose to take that feeling of worry, doubt, or fear captive and give it to God? That means when I start to worry about how I’m going to pay the bills this month, when I start to fear that my family isn’t safe, when I doubt that covid is ever going away, when I”m simply too worn down to go on – I chose to stop, give it to God and ask for His help.
When that nasty and intrusive fear rears its ugly head, I recognize it, identify that I am worried and/or afraid, take a moment to breath and then remind myself that God is in control and that He promised to help me in moments like this.
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. (1 Peter 5:7 NLT)
I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. (John 14:27 NLT)
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4: 6-7 NLT)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. (Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT)
They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them. (Psalms 112:7)
And, friend…
I assure you that God’s promises are true.
I promise you God is good on His word.
I am confident that God is bigger than any problems we face.
And maybe, just maybe
We’ll start to worry less and pray more
We’ll feel a wave of peace come over our lives
And we’ll trust the unknown to a known God
