Are You Scared?
When was the last time you asked someone, “Are you scared?”
This question has rattled around in my brain for the last few weeks, like an unspoken elephant in every room. The weight of fear has settled upon us, and yet I find no one asks this seemingly simple question, “Are you scared?”
Maybe we don’t ask, because we’re too afraid of the answer.
Yes. That whispered answer echoes in all of our souls.
It’s the answer that most of us try to silence.
I don’t think it matters who you are - whether you truly believe this virus is a threat or not (it is), whether or not you truly believe you’ll be fine even if you contract it (you probably will be fine), whether or not you TRULY believe what our country is doing will help slow the spread (I sure hope it is) - this current situation we find ourselves in is so much further reaching than even just the simple virus.
At some point, we’ve all been faced with fear. At some point in the last few weeks, we’ve faced a situation that has made us afraid.
We’re all scared.
What if I get sick? What if I lose my job? What if I can’t pay my mortgage? What if my savings is gone when this is all said and done? What if my family gets sick? What if there isn't enough space in the hospital? What if I can’t walk across the stage at graduation? What if I can’t go back to school before the end of the year?
The what-ifs are ENDLESS and that’s a heavy weight.
We can’t ask others if they’re afraid because some of us are too trapped in our own questions that have no answers. Our questions have no answers, so how can we possibly help those around us who have questions as well?
Friend, can I just tell you for one second that I love you and I’m here? Can you just take a moment to breathe just one deep breath and let that breath flow through your lungs? Can you let yourself feel for just a bit?
This weight is heavy. This burden is a great one, and I’m so sorry that you’re going through this.
However, despite the truth of what is happening in the world around us, there are GREATER truths that rule our world. What if this weight wasn’t one we had to carry? What if it didn’t have to rest on our shoulders?
Just because you feel a feeling or have a thought doesn’t mean you ARE that feeling or thought.
I’m going to say that again. Just because you felt fear doesn’t mean you ARE AFRAID. Just because you were scared when you watched the news doesn’t mean being scared defines you.
Feelings are a PART of who we are. Thoughts happen whether or not we want them to. If I tell you not to think about blue birds, what’s the first thing you think about? Blue birds. Thoughts and feelings happen as reactions to the stimuli around us. Your mind is constantly taking stock of the world around you, triggering responses that are built in to the fabric of your being.
But just because you HAVE a thought doesn’t mean that thought gets to DEFINE you.
What defines you is not the thought you have, but what you DO with that thought.
2 Corinthians 10:3-6 says this, “The world is unprincipled. It’s dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn’t fight fair. But we don’t live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.” (MSG)
FRIENDS! We don’t live or fight our battles like the world does - seeking to numb and avoid - but rather, we fight these battles by “fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.”
Just because you HAVE a thought doesn’t mean you ARE that thought! It means you can take that thought that you have and make the CHOICE to let it run rampant and rule your life, leading to more and more fear, or you can take that thought and MAKE IT LINE UP WITH THE WORD OF GOD.
We may never have faced times like these before, but we serve a God who lives outside of time. Our God is not SHAKEN by this world. He has given us directions and guidance. His word is filled with love and peace. His character is gracious and kind. His thoughts towards us are unending and HE LOVES US.
Do you hear me, friend? He LOVES you.
He loves YOU.
You are not forsaken. You are not abandoned. You are not alone. He is with you. He is for you. He is kind to you. He is gracious to you. He is faithful to you. He is WITH YOU.
HE IS WITH YOU.
So, here’s my challenge to you. Today, take one day to try and fit your thoughts and emotions into the structure of life Christ has laid out for you. If you fear, as soon as you have that thought, challenge it. It’s ok to acknowledge the realities and be truthful about our world and situations, but that reality doesn’t change the truth of who GOD IS. Don’t you dare let those thoughts take you over. As you have thoughts, or you experience feelings, figure out what the Word of God says about it and TRUST in HIM. Remind yourself who HE IS, because in him you will find Peace.
Our God is not far from us. He is near, and He will be with you each and every day.