Fear is a Choice
It was a few weeks before Christmas when my parents invited me to join them on their vacation. They were staying at a beautiful cabin resort that was all decked out for the holidays. The cabin was a seven-hour drive away.
My little man was with me, he was about 4 at the time, and my grandma was riding shot-gun. We were driving along just fine when all of the sudden we hit snow and ice. I was scared. Fear took control of the car.
We crept along at a snails pace as the world turned white outside the windshield. As I was white-knuckling the steering wheel, my grandma, usually a very anxious person, began issuing words of comfort.
“If we have to pull over and stop somewhere, it’s okay.”
“This will pass soon.”
“Just take it slow. We’re not in a hurry.”
We did make it to the cabin, although the seven hour drive turned into a nine hour drive. The time we spent together was magical and I cling even tighter to these memories of my grandma now that she has passed from this world.
Her words from that day still comfort me, especially during these uncertain times. When fear starts to consume my mind and eventually creeps its way into my bones, I am reminded:
If I have to pull over and stop somewhere, it’s okay.
Life races by and fear can pile on faster than we can even make sense of it. It’s okay to just take a day and stop. Stop looking at the news, swiping through social media, and talking about all that is going wrong in the world with your neighbors, family, and friends. Take a day off from receiving what the world is giving you. Instead, open your hands wide to the gift of peace. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27).
This will pass soon.
Fear in this life has a way of luring us in and taking us for a ride. We wait for the ride to stop, when really we just need to jump off. Even Solomon, a king blessed with wisdom and riches, went through highs and lows in his life. He wrote:
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:2 a time to be born and a time to die,
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
We need to take life one day at a time. One moment at a time. One breath at a time. We have a choice to not let fear be one long ride. Stop worrying about tomorrow because each day carries enough trouble of its own (Matt. 6:34).
Just take it slow. We’re not in a hurry.
I don’t know about you, but I constantly find myself hurrying through the day like I can out-run fear. It’s constantly on my six and if only I can keep busy or keep ahead of all that could go wrong…Sadly, while I am running in fear, I am missing out on butterfly kissed moments that would bring blessing and joy into my days.
Choosing to stop the chaos that comes with running will open you up to the blessings of the little moments that were just a blur on the side of the road. These little moments bring consolation to an anxious soul (Psalm 94:19).
We do not have to let fear suffocate us, cart us around, or chase us down. Fear of this world is just a figment of our imagination. Like monsters under our bed or in our closets, fear is something we choose to believe in. We have something so much greater to cling to. When the Lord is with us, we don’t have to be afraid. What can mere mortals do to us (Psalm 118:6)?
