Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Freedom from Fear: let's stop it from ruining our lives.

So, I don't know about you, but I get scared of just about everything. Rational and irrational.  Rational: losing the people I love, irrational: I'm convinced I'm going to get sick and throw up on stage.  Rational: blind spots in the car, irrational: there is someone hiding behind my shower curtain.  I'm not playing, I'm serious.

However, as I've grown-up, I've realized how much these fears have hindered me from living for God, and enjoying the good things He has blessed with.

I went on a ski trip this past week.  I love to ski; I think it is so fun. However, I'm kinda terrified of looking down the face of the mountain and knowing that is only me and two boards of plastic getting me down.

Then, I realized something.  When I get scared, I dig in and break hard core, and on the snowy days we were having it was causing me more problems,
then if I had just made my s shapes all the way down the mountain.

It got so bad, the second day. I really wanted to do this tree run.  I love tree runs, they are something new and fresh I get to explore.  So, I get to the top of the tree run break, look down, and realize I'm about to go down this thing and I don't think I want to.  I'm screaming down going "I'm not sure I want to do this" and people at the bottom and the ski lift are yelling back "you can do it." So I do it, but only my way. To gain control, I e
nd up breaking, which I shouldn't have, and I get stuck. So stuck someone had to come help me or I was headed straight for a tree.

I wanted to "feel" like I was in control, and ended up causing more problems for myself.  There were many tree runs, that would have allowed me to get some air, but I would break too hard and miss out.
We do this in life don't we.  God gives us a great tree run, a break from our everyday, which we get to use our gifts and talents to glorify him, and yet we crave control.  We feel like it's all going to fast, so we break and end up heading straight for a tree instead.

What are we doing?  Let's stop breaking through life.  Am I saying you should go barreling down the mountain, no that's a sure way to get hurt.  I'm saying that yes,  take it all in, but don't break so hard because you want control.

I need to trust the Lord that He has got me.  The Lord that made the mountain, I think can keep me upright on it.  He doesn't need my hands gripped so tight on the reigns, that I never enjoy the ride.

I didn't go down the black...btw
So will you join me?  Let's take those tree runs, and gets some sweet air, because we don't need to fear when the Lord who made them is on our side.