Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Fear Is Just a Bad Dream

I’ve had my share of bad dreams. As a child, I remember having dreams of a steamroller overtaking me - leaving me flat as Wile E. Coyote in the Road Runner cartoons. (No doubt that’s where that dream originated!) Later my bad dreams were not of falling or monsters or things that go BUMP in the night. Oddly enough, my recurring bad dream was that I was on a sailboat on a silent, flat ocean. Not a puff of wind to take me anywhere. No compass - no destination. Stillness – just suffocating stillness. I remember waking from that dream with a feeling of listlessness and loneliness.

I sometimes wonder if that dream was the predecessor of my greatest fear, which is best described as “missing the boat”. My mind knows that we are human beings, not human doings. However, my heart hasn’t fully absorbed the message that my life is not performance-based. I used to blithely quote “what you are is God’s gift to you and what you become is your gift to God.” I’ve quit reciting that as it really adds to the performance pressure. What if I miss an opportunity or don’t become all that God intended for me? What if I die with the music still in me? What if? What if? Just STOP!

The only way I know to combat fear is with faith. And even when I don’t FEEL full of faith, I can be assured that faith is not based on feelings. In fact, God spoke to my heart years ago with the assurance that the shield of faith has a safety catch on it. Especially handy for me. Fear may be a bad dream, but that doesn’t make it a reality.

There is much in the world to make us afraid. There is much more in our faith to make us unafraid.
~Frederick W. Cropp

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This post was the result of some “mulling” I’ve done since Michelle over at Scribbit put out the October writing challenge on the subject of Fear. I also entered a post from my business blog. Have I ever mentioned I love words?

10 comments:

Scribbit said...

I agree completely--and the steam roller thing is definitely disturbing

Krista said...

Thank you, thank you, thank you for permission to let go the fear that I might "die with the music still in me!"

It sneaks up on you, doesn't it! I've had an incredibly non-productive week, probably out of laziness. I am aware that I need to kick up the discipline level in my life.

BUT it doesn't change my worth in God's eyes! And I am so thankful. He encourages my best, calls me to a high standard, and loves me regardless.

What a relief.

grammy said...

I love that...'we are not human doings' Nice post. I like the meatloaf recipe too.

Saleslady371 said...

You must have been reading my personal journal. Just yesterday I told the Lord I've made some progress in the performance issue, but it still has way too much of a hold on me. Blessings!

Kitty @ Four Toms and a Mom said...

I love what they say about what ever you focus on becomes larger. Coupled with most of what we fear will never happen just sets my mind straight. Take it easy and enjoy the ride. Love the post, thanks!

Zuzana said...

Beautifully put; having faith in something greater than us makes fear obsolete.;)
xo

Heidi said...

Well said and I couldn't agree more.

I have too many fears and I have to work to combat them with faith. I always think that one day, when I am fully mature in the Lord, there won't be any inner battle and the fears will be- gone.

God has helped me quite a bit in the area of getting past fears, but I have a little ways to go.

Merrie said...

A great word. Thank you! I have been facing my greatest fears lately. I find that as I face them with faith, Jesus is always there before me... the fear itself is always much worse than the thing I'm fearing.
Blessings!

Greg C said...

Mine is hard to describe too but it was about emptiness. I am suspended in a dark place and I can see people all around me at a distance but I can't reach them and they can't reach me. It was very scary and I would wake up screaming.

Edie said...

Oh Beverly this was perfect for me today! Thank you for posting this. I am a human being, not a human doing. I've heard that before but boy do I need to make it stick.

This morning I asked God to help me see His activity in my day and this is the first thing He showed me. Yay!

Love you!