Life Coaching: Overcoming Fear

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But the Lord is faithful; He will strengthen and guard you from the evil one. 2 Thessalonians 3:3

If there was ever a time in modern history that we need guarding, it is today. This year has absolutely been a roller coaster, and not in a good way. At least with a roller coaster you get a little break every now and then before you take that heart stopping plunge to the bottom. We have had no such respite: first the coronavirus, then the comet, then the murder hornets, then murder and mayhem. If I was a valedictorian and had to give a graduation speech this year I’d say, “I have no words except those of Winston Churchill—‘Never, never, never, never give up.’”

If ever a people had a reason to give up, 2020 is certainly it. Tomorrow when I open my newsfeed, I expect To see aliens have landed in Marrakesh. And they’re drinking tea with Crosby, Stills and Nash. Ok so maybe it’s because I just listened to that song, but the weirdness of it all would not surprise me. Perhaps this disaster of a year was actually caused by the death of John Prine, whose death has surely caused a gigantic rift in the time/space continuum.

But I digress…thank you for hanging with me on this one. I am awake at 3:00 in the morning. Never a good thing. I am coming to a point, I promise. I honestly believe when COVID-19 first made its appearance, people’s first reaction was fear—fear of the disease, fear of people, fear social distancing, but most of all, fear of the unknown. Then came the comet, whose course was supposed to impact the sun, according to some. We dodged a bullet on that. Then came the murder hornets who honestly looked like the spawn of Satan. Then a murder which was the catalyst for change. And everyone’s fear levels kept rising and rising. And rising. Mine included.

Here’s the thing…the world may end tomorrow. I don’t know that and neither does anyone else. But whether we have one minute, one day, one month, one year, 10 years, or more left on this planet, we cannot live our lives with fear at the helm. That isn’t living. It’s existing until the next object of fear comes along.

What is the answer? I don’t claim to know everything, but it would seem to me that the first thing we could do is to believe what God says. Let’s ask ourselves, “Do we believe He is faithful.?” “Do we believe He strengthens and protects us?” “Do we trust Him?” Most Christians would say yes. And I truly believe we believe that. But In those dark sleepless nights (like tonight), what do we REALLY believe? I can guarantee most of us doubt God and we doubt His word. This isn’t a scolding that’s intended to make us feel bad. Rather, it’s a call to arms—a call to examine our hearts and see what we’re lacking. Do we need more love, faith, hope, joy, comfort, peace, laughter, righteousness, companionship, relationship, forgiveness, silence, vocalization? What can we do to simply believe God?

The answer will be different for everyone. For me, it’s a matter of ceasing to strive to “fix” things. I’m a fixer. So are many others. But I can’t fix anything better than God can. He is the ultimate carpenter. He mends what’s broken and builds new things. He creates something from nothing. We can’t do that. As much I love crafting, I can never make a wreath out of thin air. No, it requires trips to the craft store and the Dollar Tree and many versions of watching “Olivia’s Romantic Home” on Youtube. Not so with God. He has never physically stood in long lines on Black Friday at Michaels or Hobby Lobby because His crafting supply was in short supply. No, The only reason for Him to be in that line is because I WAS THERE! He was there with me to strengthen me and guard me from the evil one, who wants to kill me if he could.

What’s your take away from this? It’s a bit of a ramble, but that’s ok. If it made you think and brought you closer to God, I’m good with that. God bless you!