Fear

Does that one little word scare you?

Does it make you cringe as you think about all the things that this one little word conjures up?

Yesterday as we were taking the camper to have it inspected, Stephen said something to me that really made me stop and think. He told me to "Stop being so fearful. Start living".

For me, I thought I was living. I work at home--something I have always wanted to do. I homeschool our kids--something I always wanted to do. I go shopping--not as much as I want, but I do get to shop. I am living.

And yet--

I find myself not living. I find myself reverting into my little world of wife, mommy, teacher, and not wanting to leave this little world that I have created for myself. When I feel a move coming on of stepping outside of this little world, doing something I am not accustomed to doing, I begin to fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of the what if's, fear of failure, fear of making a mistake--FEAR in general.

I think to myself--when did I get this way? I have not always been so fearful. I mean, let's face it. I am fearful of scary movies and snakes more than anything else, but when did I become afraid of life? Even now as I write this, I am scared of writing this, because I realize that for the first time in my life, I AM FEARFUL. I am admitting to the world that I am not as confident in my life as I make myself out to be. I am not as cheerful as everyone sees.

Where did it all start? I don't even have an answer for that. I guess what started this whole thought process is because I am scared to death to drive the camper we bought. I don't want to mess it up, or make a mistake with it. I am that way about a lot of things in my life--choosing a restaurant to eat at, telling Stephen the truth about a decision I want, doting on myself--scared of making the wrong decision and making people unhappy. I guess it just comes down to the people pleaser in me.

I know all the verses in the Bible about fear, and for the most part I apply them to my life--but sometimes, I let go and allow the fear to take over. I have to learn to live and not be so fearful. It is in those fearless moments that I find enjoyment, peace, satisfaction, pride and the ability to rise above whatever is holding me back.

God has not given you a Spirit of fear, but of love, power, and a sound mind.

What about you? What is fear doing to your life?

What Do You Do When You Are Stressed?

I have to admit that I do not get stressed out much. I don't know if it is because I spend so much time talking to the Lord or what, but I am pretty much a laid back person.

However, there are times when I have a lot going on that I can feel the stress beginning to rise. How do I handle it when it happens? Well, for one, I talk to my husband about how I am feeling. I am blessed with a man who wants to know when I am feeling like I have alot on my plate. Even though he works outside the home, when he sees that I am over stressed, he will take over for me and help me get things accomplished just so I can rest and relax my mind. . .what a man I have!

Another thing that I do when I am stressed is just walk away from whatever is stressing me. I take a walk, pray and ask God to renew my mind and my attitude about whatever it is that I am dealing with.

Let's face it, stress can cause us to jump completely out of our skin and become a hideous two headed monster (I have been there a few times in my life). The way to beat that is simply by staying in the Word. When you feel the heat rising in your neck, grab your Bible and start reading. I choose the Psalms because they are very soothing for my soul.

How do you relieve stress? That is what we are talking about today At The Well. Why not come join us?