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
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
