What Do You Fear and What Do You Do About It?
Hi Friend! I’ve been wanting to write on fear and was at a loss for words until now.
Then it hit me that I live more fear based than I realized when I thought of how I’ve been afraid to have an indoor dog. Afraid of the dog taking so much time and attention away from my writing. Afraid that close contact with a dog would contaminate me because I have a low immune system from my kidney transplant. Afraid of constant barking, and yes, even jumping on me. So, I told Dwight no after I’d promised him we’d get a dog when we moved to central Texas.
But I changed my mind recently, and we found a puppy. After holding and petting this darling little furball and putting down a deposit, I noticed my eyes were itchy on the way home. Oh no! I have a dog allergy! What can I do?
Fear gets jumbled up with anxiety and worry. I know I don’t always take time to distinguish which one is what, and my feelings about having an indoor dog may be an example of all three. Fear is different from anxiety because it is a feeling that someone or something is dangerous and will cause pain, and it causes me to want to flee. It’s a natural response to danger.
Whereas anxiety is a feeling of unease about an uncertain event in the future, and according to the National Association of Mental Illness, “. . . anxiety results from the physical effort to push down emotions.”
What is it you’re afraid of? Does one specific fear stand out in your mind? So many things to be fearful of surround us today, but I want to focus on just a few.
A common fear is the fear of death and disease.
Do you have a spouse or a parent or a child or grandchild that you fear will die by an accident or come down with a dreaded disease? Or is it your own death that you’re afraid of, or a fear of a prolonged period of suffering that precedes death?
As a believer, we have assurance of eternal life which can ease our fear of death, but even Martin Luther is said to have feared his own death when he neared the end of his life. He was comforted, and his faith was strengthened by the encouraging words of a close friend.
If you have an excessive fear of disease that disrupts your daily life, you may benefit from seeing a therapist. The Covid pandemic certainly aroused fear in a large part of our population, and I was fearful too. And continued Covid strains give some of us fear, and even though it’s natural to be afraid, it’s healthiest not to dwell on worst case scenarios.
The enemy of our souls wants us to be afraid and take away our joy.
When I fear my husband or child or grandchild will have an accident, that’s when I pray for their protection and wait for them to come home. How often have you done this too? There is power in prayer even if our heart is filled with fear at the time.
I think the fear of the death of a loved one is a little harder to handle. But I try to come to God in faith and trust that He is the only one who knows the future and how long any of us will live on this earth. It’s not in my hands. I can trust His timing. He cares for that person more than I do. And He cares for me and will take care of me if that happens.
I want to leave you with a couple of Scriptures that bring me peace when I dwell on them.
Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:14)
When I am afraid I will put my trust in You. (Psalm 56:3)
I hope these words from our mighty God who is our refuge and strength in time of trouble will bring peace to your heart if you are fearful today.
Things to do when you are fearful:
Face your fear.
Give yourself time to physically calm down.
Dwell on the words of 2 Timothy 1:7: for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self control.
Take a deep breath and inhale peace and exhale be still, and repeat.
- Marilyn