S4 E14: Is Fear Keeping You Stuck in These Uncertain Times?

As many of you know I’m a graphic tee lover. Actually to be more specific  I’m a lover of words...so show me a cool print, a t shirt or a coffee mug with words that speak to my soul and your girl is SOLD! Haha

I think it was a month or so before COVID and quarantine that I had bought a T-shirt that said “these are the days”...at the time of purchase those words held all the wonderful feelings of what life held for me in that moment which was a nice calm breathing in of life and love and the declaration that these are the days….

Fast forward a few months...

I’ve only worn that shirt a couple of times. Once was to the family gender reveal of my next grandchild and the other was just around the house.

I haven’t worn it because to be honest, I felt conflicted walking around with a mask on and this declaration plastered on the front of my shirt.

But here’s the interesting thing...I wasn’t feeling conflicted as much from how I was feeling about “these days” but rather how everyone else appeared to be feeling about “these days” #storyofmylife

I can joke about living that way being the story of my life now, because I am so not where I lived most of my life. I can laugh about it because when I finally realized what was happening to me as a deep feeler and someone that can easily absorb all the feelings in a room or situation I then was able to create boundaries for myself and be proactive in processing my thoughts and emotions in a healthy way. So it’s still very easy for me to feel all the feelings... Now I have an understanding of how to not stay stuck in them.

I’ve shared in several episodes the past few months how from the start of this universal unraveling of our “normal” lives that I’ve had this overwhelming peace and flexibility. I admit I don’t think I’ve felt or experienced the major impact of my normal being impacted because of my personal unraveling of normal  in the last several years.

A lot of people would say my life has never been mainstream “normal”, haha but even with that I still knew deep down inside there was more that needed to shift and when my body literally brought me to a stop a few years ago I was forced to make those changes to a less is more lifestyle. I understand That’s this is my experience and I realize there are many experiences that are far to the extreme of mine. And that’s where the tension has come in for me. I never wanted my sharing from my life and perspective to appear to be oblivious to real loss that many are experiencing during this time.

A few weeks ago I started sensing a shift.  I actually started feeling a heaviness and I’ve learned when I start feeling that way and there is nothing going on that would be making me feel that way there’s usually another reason.  I started noticing a rise in angry posts on social media and a lot of fear based posts and commentary. And I found myself praying against the spirit of fear.

This has nothing to do with being wise and cautious. I believe we need to be walking in wisdom and that also means living in love. I’m not here to try and persuade anyone to a particular side or viewpoint. I’m more concerned in this moment about our heart posture in sharing whatever that viewpoint is.

I’m sure you’ve noticed we have become a culture that seems to move quicker towards judgement and divisiveness than towards love and understanding.

We’ve seen it play out several times these past few months with the virus as well as racial injustices...people initially come together and are looking and working towards a hopeful future and it progresses into divisions and sides in which it seems no one can win.

Here’s why I’m bringing this up... you and I cannot be swayed by whatever narrative is loudest at the moment.

I mentioned seeing a rise in people being fearful and sharing negative words and posts on social media so I started asking people and texting people asking how they were doing. And I discovered that most of the people posting are doing so out of frustration and fear and those that aren’t necessarily feeling that way start feeling that way because of all the talk about it.

Even if someone isn’t feeling anxious personally about a particular circumstance they are finding themselves feeling anxious because of all the negativity they are hearing and seeing.

Guys! There is a reason we are told in scripture to guard our hearts and mind. We have a choice in what we allow to stay in our thoughts. 

We have a choice in what and who we listen to. We can not expect to listen to news report after new report and spend way too much time scrolling through social media seeing and hearing opinion after opinion and think it’s not going to affect us!  

You can go find the information you need to find, make the decisions you need to make and move on. 

Let’s not allow the enemy to blind us and distract us from what God is doing in the midst of all of this uncertainty.

I shared with our faith community this weekend that I believe this is such an exciting time for the church. We have such a great opportunity to be light in a world that looks so dim to so many.

If you know me you know that I am not one to slap a happy verse over a situation just to stir up hope and sound positive. Nope not into that and God isn’t either!

I’m saying these things because I believe them with all my heart. That even in the midst of the hard God is right here in the middle of all this and is perfecting our faith if we are allowing him too. 

Every episode that I’ve talked about the times we are living in I have the thought that this is the last time I’m going to say anything and yet here I am again because I can’t get away from it.

It makes me so sad for people to put their lives on hold waiting for things to get back to a normal that we don’t need to get back to.  God is doing a new thing friends and I am here for it.

I want to live my life to the fullest even if my days look different than I thought they would.

I don’t want to miss the simple sweet moments in life because my eyes are so focused on something else.

So I’m going to be wearing my t-shirt because It was God’s idea that I would be here in 2020 and these are my days…

Father,

Thank you for your presence that can be sensed through the listening of a podcast. 

Thank you for reminding us that our days are held in your hand and that these are the days you are calling us to live.

Help us to show up and live. Your life and light was never intended to be contained in a certain way or space.

Open our hearts and minds to see where you are working so we can join you.

In the name of Jesus I speak to the spirit of fear and declare that it has no power or authority in our lives.

Father we are yours and trust that we are here in this season for a reason.

We are looking to you,

amen