The Shadow of Fear

Fear is a natural response to protect us from danger. But when fear becomes our dwelling place, it becomes unnatural. The mind is the battleground of our fear, creating the shadows of an unseen enemy. These invisible enemies are elusive to others; family and friends have no idea of the hold fear has over us. The mind is a powerful darkroom for fear’s creations.

 It is said that, Fear is the darkroom where negatives are developed. The darkroom manufactures shadowed beings that seep into our mind and loom over our future. Fear is a plague that can settle over us, bleeding its poisonous thoughts in hopes they will settle and stain.

When we are fearful we find it hard to be positive. Fear breeds negativity. Negativity breeds pessimism. And, fear drowns out hope. What’s needed is a light to shine in the recesses of our mind to shoo out the cobwebs and the images that threaten us.

Never fear shadows. They simply mean there’s a light shining somewhere nearby.   ~ Ruth E. Renkel

 

This is putting a positive spin on a fearful situation. There is truth in it; with God there is always a light in the darkness. It means looking for the silver lining in the cloud or a rainbow in the storm. If we can look for glimmers of God in the midst of our fears, we will be trained to see His hand at work around us and be set free.

I have struggled with fears for as long as I can remember. The unnatural fears began to take over when my children were small and my husband, John frequently traveled away from home. With three children under the age of two, nighttime was the worst.

 Sleep wouldn’t come because I was too overcome with ‘what-ifs’—What if there was a fire? What if someone broke into the house? I was paralyzed in my thinking of what I would do. How would I get all three kids out of the house safely? Where could we hide from an intruder?

Somehow in the midst of my darkroom, the light of God’s voice broke through to the depth of my spirit. It wasn’t an audible voice, yet it was a strong impression in my heart—I heard, ‘Who is your protector, John or Me?’

That glimmer of light in my darkness was the turning point. I know that God saw me and understood my fear. I knew He was with me and would watch over us while John was away. Scripture tells me that Perfect Love casts out fear. His love.  It didn’t happen overnight, but it did happen—I was able to sleep, trusting in His protection. He gave me the peace of His Presence and I encountered another facet of my great God.

So, when fear overwhelms you and you find yourself in the darkroom what do you do?  He promises to bring light to all our dark places. I would love to hear how His light has dispelled your fear.

 

Jeanne

 

Scripture tells us not to be afraid 366 times--one for every day.  I think God knew we needed to hear that message. I certainly do.

 

 

* Day #3 of the 31-Day Blog Challenge