Thursday, April 4, 2013

What to do with fear.

The police department called, but didn't leave a message.
My heart pounding, I called them back. The lady that answered had no information about anyone having called my number.
I hung up, then called my daughter who had just gotten out of school and should have still been in the parking lot. I called my husband, who should have been at work. Neither one of them answered.
Fear is a powerful thing. It can weigh you down, make you sick to your stomach and cause you to panic. Emily texted back, then she called.  I took a deep breath. Then as I had a moment to calm down, I realized that the police department had called my cell phone. In an emergency, surely they would have called my house phone. I also thought more clearly and remembered that just a few weeks earlier I had filed a police report about a tuba that had been stolen from our garage. I called the police department back. This time I had enough information to get through the gatekeeper to the officer who had called and not left a message.
He wanted to inform me that the tuba had been found. It was pawned shortly after it was taken. On Presidemt's Day, while my kids were playing in and out of the house, doors unlocked, in the driveway, and in the garage, someone was watching and waiting to walk into my garage and steal something that they knew could be pawned quickly and easily.  The officer was sure the offenders were just looking for quick cash and were probably harmless, but because the tuba had been pawned so close to the time it was stolen, the cameras in the pawn shop could be used as evidence to indict the theives. As I rehashed the details with the officer, the fear came back again. Thoughts of how we should never keep our garage door open because nothing is safe. Thoughts about how close the stranger was to the door leading to the inside of our home. Thoughts about him coming back.

It is often said that the things we fear the most, are the things that never happen. Fear can stop you from living and keep you in hiding.  Fear can cause you to lose trust in people and lose trust in God. Fear puts too much pressure on "what if" and not enough reliance on "He is!"
It is scary to think that something could happen to my children or my husband. It is scary to think about theives coming to watch our home or steal our things. When my mind  begins to go there and causes me to panic, I have to take those thoughts captive and claim the truth of God's word.
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self discipline. 2 Tim 1:7  
There is no fear in love. Perfect love drives out all fear. 1 John 4:18
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. Psalm 56:3
This is my command-- Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9
It is God's word that releases the power to break the bond of fear. To allow us to rest and trust and experience life.
We will continue to leave our garage door open when we are in and out and we will pay attention to what's around us. We will remind each other to "be careful" and "call us when you get there" and we will still worry unnecessarily. It is our nature, but if we can remember that we are powerless over fear without the promise of a God who is for us, we can feel secure in the moment and rely on who "He is" instead of on our own "What if's?"
Is it just me?
How do you deal with your fears?
I'm linking up here with Jenny Matlock for alphabe-thursday. The letter for today is "T". 

16 comments:

  1. Much food for thought here - great reflective post!

    Have a restful weekend,

    Visiting from Alphabe-Thursday

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  2. Wow Jen, scary that someone would walk right into your garage like that...

    Fear and mothering go hand in hand for me. Holding the ones I love with an open hand not a clenched fist is hard!

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  3. Fear of the unknown....
    A very thoughtful post today.
    Thanks for posting Joshua 1:9 -- I need to keep that one with me!

    However, I must wonder why the policeman would not leave you a message -- surely he would know that you would be scared to death!

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  4. Wow. Scary that someone just strolled in while you were there. We once had our house broken into while we were out of town. They were looking specifically for coin collections and guns, which we didn't have. The police showed up on our doorstep to tell us our house had been broken into. When we said nothing was taken, they said, Yep, that's what they said. They had a list of all the houses they'd broken into and what they'd taken. Scary.

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  5. Great reminder to take precautions but not get overly stressed about 'things'. Take a deep breath and think happy thoughts☺4♪ My T effort: http://lmkazmierczak.blogspot.com/2013/03/twice.html

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  6. I deal with it by repeating 1 Tim 1:7, just as you posted! {great verse for anxiety sufferers like me} I have to remind myself the enemy wants me to live in fear and those thoughts are not of God.

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  7. No, it's not just you, I go through fear and anxiety too. I totally get it. I have had thoughts before when I couldn't reach Kevin, or another family member. I like what you said, most of our fears never really come to life anyway. I try to turn it over to God. I stop and pray. I tell him I can't handle it alone. Somehow I usually get a peace that washes over me when I ask for His help. I think fear is so normal, but it can be so crippling.
    xo

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  8. or is it 2 Tim 1:7 ;)

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  9. I do the same things... I let it completely own me sometimes.
    You gave some great advice and reassuring scriptures-- and I am glad your tuba was found!

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  10. omg, that would be scary! I'm glad it was nothing terrible :) I completely understand, when people don't answer I fear the worst.

    also, the tuba was so random that I laughed a little XD

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    1. I know...a tuba of all things. Those guys knew what they were doing I guess.

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  11. I'm glad you're not going to let fear rule your life - if we all do that, then the bad guys win!
    So glad you got the tuba back (my bag-piper brother also plays the tuba - very weird!)

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  12. that is a scary incident. Especially with children around. On the lighter side, I'm just wondering how the thief got out of the garage with a big 'ol tuba! {:-Deb

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  13. scary, yes. a chance to be more careful in the future, to check out our surroundings.
    but living in fear--not good for our souls. A reminder of who really is in charge and how we rely on him for all things.
    agree with Deb--a tuba is a bit hard to hide!

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  14. This sounds like a Tremendously Terrifying Thing To go Through...

    Just The Thought of That happening gives me the heebie-geebies...

    I'm Truly relieved That all is okay Though...

    Thank you for sharing This story with us...

    Terrific job!

    A+

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