First Baptist Church of Herndon

Facing Fear

Linda Soller | Oct 29, 2018

With all our talk about fear, I fear you may think that being fearful is something you should be ashamed of. That simply isn’t true. Fear is part of being human, part of living a full life. It’s easy for me to write about being strong and leaning on God when life frightens you, because I try to do just that when I’m fearful. Don’t think for a minute that I don’t have any fear in my life. I just want to help you see the possibilities. There are options, if not cures. We all have fears, all of us. 

Ironically, I’ve been having more than my usual share of bad dreams over the last few weeks. Some pretty vivid ones have woken me, my heart racing. This got me to thinking that perhaps my focus, in the blog and during our Drop-In class, on fear has allowed my brain to examine my own fears more freely. Perhaps after being suppressed, those fears were released as part of some self-realization. I don’t know why I’m having bad dreams. More importantly, after the last bad dream I realized I don’t really care why. Having those dreams has helped me better understand that fear has a place in our lives. Fear helps keep us safe and reminds us to watch over others to keep them safe. Fear can nudge or even push us into action. Fear can remind us of what and who is important in our lives. Fear can also cripple us if we let it.

The fear factor may be the very thing which helps us see our own vulnerabilities. When we recognize our fears, we are better prepared to fight them. Dare I go so far as to say fear may be a gift? The jury is out on whether fear is an emotion or an instinct. No matter how fear impacts your life, it remains true, that God is facing it with you.

I wish you a fearless week!  :o) Linda