What Rids Me of Fear?

     Fear is a powerful foe. It comes in varying forms and different degrees. Fear often takes what could be and treats it as though it is what will be.
     Some people are more fearful by nature than others. Some struggle with genuine disorders related to fear like panic attacks. Others have had a difficult experience in their past that affects them deeply whenever a similar situation arises in the future. Fears vary between men and women. Here are some common fears that people experience:

• Public speaking
• Spiders
• Terrorism
• Snakes
• Failure
• Flying

     For you it may be several of these. Or it may be a whole new list. The topic of fear is so large that a simple post such as this can never hope to address all aspects of it.

     I would like to suggest a verse of Scripture and a few thoughts that can help us as we face some of the more "daily" sorts of fears. I'm speaking about things like the fear of the future or anxiety about our current circumstances or concern about finances. Even the fear of dying.

     1 John 4:18 says perfect love casts out fear. That's a bit counter-intuitive to me. Normally, I would expect it to say that trust casts out fear. If I'm afraid, I'm not trusting enough, right? When I grasped the truth of this verse in picture form, it helped me as I faced fears in my own life. Maybe it will in yours as well.
     As I read this verse, I picture a young dad tossing his child in the air and listening to them scream with delight as they come back down. It's always a thing of beauty to me. Once I was holding a young child of a good friend of mine who had been doing that with his daughter. I postured as though I was going to give her a toss and she screamed like I was planning to kill her! Why was it like that? She wasn't afraid when her dad tossed her because she had a history with him and he had never dropped her. The "flight" was scary but she knew dad was there to catch her. She had no such history or relationship with me.
   There it is. Simple, but not easy. When I am afraid, I need to focus on God's love for me. I need to remember that no matter how difficult it has been during the scary seasons of my life, my heavenly father has always "caught" me. I'm still here. I'm still on my way to Heaven. When the time comes for me to finish my course, my father will carry me to Heaven to spend eternity with Him.
     Something about that calms me. The situation doesn't change. The potential (or actual) trouble is still there. But my fear is diminished. Why? Because I know my heavenly "dad" will catch me.
     I hope that helps a little for you today. What are some of the things you focus on to help you deal with fear or anxiety in your life? I'd love to hear about it.