Facing my biggest Fear!

One day last winter I was scheduled to be in Burlington for a meeting with Sue and the team. When I looked out my window, I was dismayed to discover there was snow falling from the sky. For a brief moment all my eyes saw was a white wall of blizzard like conditions! Now, if the truth were known, I am sure it wasn’t a blizzard but merely a brief gust of wind and snow that passed by my window! In that moment, however, I was so overcome with the fear of driving through a “storm”. So I texted Sue asking if she was sure she wanted to have the meeting since the weather was “getting bad”. The ever-optimistic Sue looked out her window only to see clear skies and no snow! Needless to say the meeting went forward and I lived to tell this story.

My fear of snow started on Christmas Eve 1999 when we were driving to a family Christmas and we hit a snowdrift, spun out into the oncoming lane and landed sideways in a ditch. None of us were hurt and the car didn’t even have a mark! But that was the day I realized that snow was my nemesis! Since then, every time I get into a car and there are even a few tiny snowflakes I feel all my muscles tense, my heart starts to race and everything inside of me just wants to stay home and hide away from those big bad killer flakes!

This week I read a book by Christine Caine called Undaunted. In one of the chapters she talks about fear. About how it causes us to miss things in life because we are so trapped inside of our fears. She said, “When you allow fear to dictate how you spend your days, you allow life to pass you by!”

Ouch! That really hit home with me. I have known for quite some time that God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of love and power and a sound mind, but this week I had a light bulb moment!! If God didn’t give me this fear, then the enemy did! Why would I EVER take ANYTHING that he gives me? Why would I allow myself to be a recipient of something that is intended to rob, kill, and destroy me?

Fear isn’t a tactic God uses to get us to do what He wants! AND, there is nothing about fear that pleases God! In fact, the ONLY thing God WANTS me to fear is Him!
Fear is one of the enemy’s tools! He has this bag of tricks and he knows his audience very well! Satan remembers that day we hit the snowdrift and he knows that there are things for me to do for God that sometimes involve me driving in yucky conditions, so if he can trick me into believing I am going to be horribly mangled in a horrific car crash, then he can keep me at home feeling sorry for myself and he can even make me question “why GOD would ever allow such weather KNOWING what I have to get done?” Mother Nature never really gets the blame…

No more! Fear cannot reside in my heart. I will no longer allow fear paralyze me and keep me a prisoner! I have resolved that I will face my fear and I will overcome it! I am not going to indulge in what I know is the opposite of what God gives: power, love and a sound mind! Beautiful gifts I crave and need to live life to the fullest!
Yesterday I was put to the test when the weather report said freezing rain and 5 cm of snow. I had promised my daughter we would drive to Toronto to meet her new baby cousin and normally I would have just rescheduled in light of such “conditions,” but I knew this was my chance to show the devil I meant business. So we went. I drove the speed limit and higher in the fast lane and I was completely enveloped with peace and assurance! YAY Jesus!

Fear robs….

Fear would have caused David to hide instead of looking for 5 smooth stones…
Fear would have caused Daniel to pray with the windows shut…
Fear would have sent Ruth running to the comfort of home….
Fear would have kept Jesus’ hem from being touch by a desperate woman…

Fear would have kept Jesus off the cross…but, for the JOY awaiting Him he endured the cross!

What joy I experienced yesterday as I held my beautiful baby nephew. I would have missed that treasured moment if fear had of won.

No more letting life pass me by just because Mother Nature has a bad attitude (wink wink)!

Written By: Jenn Fitch