July 31, 2018

What Do You Fear?

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

– Isaiah 41:10

What are you afraid of? Oh, come on. Everyone is afraid of something. It might be a snake or a spider. It could be having one of your children or your spouse get hurt. It could be financial loss or a fire. It could be needles or hospitals or driving on the interstate.

Fears don’t have to be rational. Indeed, most aren’t. But they are real. Their impact on our lives is real. That pounding heart inside of you is real.

Last year a sweet friend was rushed to a hospital almost three hours from home. She was fighting serious health issues and struggling to carry her baby to term. Did I mention she is terrified of needles?

I was appalled at the attitude of some of the healthcare workers. They had no sympathy. None. Did she absolutely have to have blood drawn and IV lines? Yes. But a little kindness and compassion would have gone a long way toward keeping her calm and keeping her blood pressure down. Thankfully, a nurse suggested a PICC line and that solved the issue.

I don’t have a fear of needles but I am terrified of snakes. Her fear of needles would be like someone holding a snake and coming toward me. It wouldn’t matter if it was a moccasin or a rat snake. I would be terrified.

Some fears we have from childhood on throughout life. Some fears we get over as we age. Other fears come later in life. And some fears we’re able to work through and reach the other side.

A sweet friend lost her teenage daughter in a car wreck. Her daughter was a passenger in another vehicle. Now, just imagine how hard it was for her to let her younger daughters ride in any vehicle but her own. Imagine how hard it was to teach them to drive, to hand over the car keys, to let them leave her side. Her fear, grounded in a very sad truth, was still fear that could have destroyed so much if she had let it.

Sometimes we have to meet our fears head on. We can’t be the people
God called us to be unless we do. Are you afraid of failure? Are you afraid of success? Are you afraid of change? They can all be stumbling blocks to the best that God has planned for us.

I love this verse from Isaiah. I use it whenever I am afraid, frustrated, uncertain. It reminds me that God is with me always. He never leaves me to face my fears alone. He doesn’t leave you either.

Life is full of fear and uncertainty. It doesn’t matter who you are or how in control you think you are. The one thing we can count on is God. Just like the Mom or Dad who runs to their child when he cries out in the middle of the night, God runs toward us. He pulls us close. He reassures us of His Presence. He calms us in the storm of fear. When fear tightens its clammy hands on you, cry out to God. He’s got you.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Actions Tell The Truth

"Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless."

-- Isaiah 10: 1-2

This is a fitting commentary for what's going on in our country right now. The rich want more. The middle-class are fading fast. And the poor get the leftovers, when there are leftovers. It's a sad statement that in a country that claims to be mostly Christian, we really don't care for our poor.

Oh, yeah. I know. We have welfare. And unemployment. We even have medicaid. I'm really not talking about those folks. I'm referring to the people who work two and three jobs, day after day, just to provide shelter and food. The necessities. Nothing extra, like medical care. During the recent debate on that issue, I lost track of how many Christians I heard complaining that those people should just get a job. Right. They've got jobs. It's the benefits they're lacking.

We live in the best country in the world. We do. We have food and medical care and prosperity abounds -- for some people. It's easy to forget, or ignore, those who have less. The kids who are hungry and neglected break my heart. Who's taking care of them, looking out for them? Not me. I'm too caught up in my own world. How about you? Yeah. It's easy to forget or become overwhelmed.

The thing is we aren't responsible for what the government does or what the church does or what our neighbor does. Oh, we can have a voice sometimes but where we are accountable is in our own actions. Are we kind to those who have less? Do we opened our hearts -- and our wallets -- when and where we can? Do we value all people equally, regardless of their wealth or job status? One day God will hold us accountable for every word, every action and every inaction. What will He see when He looks at me -- and you?