Fear can take hold of you and make you forget how to breathe. It can demand your every sense while robbing you of the pleasure of them all. It almost always comes from a lie, whispering that it’s keeping you alive and yet never allowing you to live.
Where does this kind of fear come from and how does it find its place at home in our hearts? This is not an easy question to ask for it requires you to look deep within acknowledging a reality common to us all. The answer of course can be as varied as individuals on this earth. We all have our own unique journeys, experiences, and stories. No two of us are exactly alike. Yet we hold these things in common. We all have been created by one God. We all experience the brokenness of this world. And we all can experience the healing of perfect love.
It is this broken world that gives birth to the tyranny of fear within us. The particular paths it takes to wind its way to each one of us can be as different as we are. And the effects we each may feel can have such vast expressions as well. But they are there nonetheless. Ultimately fear longs for us to question who we are, who God is, the value we intrinsically have to Him, and the love He holds out to us.
My own journey through fear was one that required me to stare down my past and there and then remember what has always been true. I really am made in the image of God. I was made by a trustworthy God who loves me. I am worthy of love. And I am pleasing to God.
This was no easy journey. I had to acknowledge the broken places of my past. It meant overcoming the lies I had believed there. And I needed to believe and hold the truths of who I am and who God is. Without this journey I would not really be living, certainly not with any real sense of peace or lasting joy. Yet through it God begin healing my soul. That healing continues today, but it’s not just for me. It something that God holds out to all in need.
If you find yourself struggling with fear, anxiety, worry, or even depression know that you are not alone. There are many of us who share such a struggle. And there are many willing and able to support us, to walk with us, to help us heal. Ultimately God himself desires to lead you down a path of healing if you’ll allow Him. Let me encourage you to trust Him today, by trusting in Jesus Christ. Call out to Him. He won’t disappoint. Reach out to those who truly care for you as well. I know this can be difficult, but it really is worth it. You are worth it. And remember, “Perfect love casts out fear.” - 1 John 4:18
