My last post dealt with fear and Philippians. This time, I'm going to share with you how I've learned to deal with fear. Please remember, though, that I'm not claiming to have overcome it. I don't know if anyone absolutely overcomes fear. I walk through it and have learned not to let it torment me.
First of all, name it. You have this heavy feeling pressing down on you and making you feel anxious. Why? What is causing it? Sometimes you know; sometimes you don't. If you don't, ask the Lord to help you see.
I'm a big proponent of naming. I think that if you are fighting something that doesn't have a name, you are giving all power over to your opponent and have already lost. For example, as I sit here typing, I have a weight in my heart. I could choose to ignore it, hoping it will go away on its own--bad idea. I would go through my whole day anxious and depressed, wondering about that weight. Instead, I did a little reflection and realized that there are several things weighing me down this morning. First, I woke up early today and have a long day ahead of me. Second, I have a rehearsal tonight that I haven't adequately prepared for. Third, I am going to report on a concert tomorrow and feel woefully unprepared (I'm a perfectionist and as such have problems with my first time of doing anything.)
Having realized the issues that are weighing me down, I can now name them: dread of the upcoming day, lack of preparation, and fear of failure. As I write these words down, I already feel lighter. There is a solution for each of these problems.
First of all, the dread of the day. Go straight to the Bible, since only God can help there.
Isaiah 41:10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 40:28-31 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary,and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
Having understood this truth, I can now go to the physical aspect. My eyes are sore, and even if I'm not tired, sore eyes make me feel so. Since I have glaucoma, I take eye drops that dry out my eyes and make them sore. So I remind myself to take my drops with me and use them when I feel tired during the day. I did this just now, and I'm already feeling better!
Next, lack of preparation. That one is easy. I always worry about this before a rehearsal, and it's really not true. I have prepared, I just haven't done so in the past week. So today while I work, I will find my solos on Youtube and play them as I grade papers. Hearing the soloist will cement my own part, and I will feel more confident tonight.
Finally, fear of failure. Back to the same verse as before:
Isaiah 41:10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Next, I remind myself that I have a meeting today with my supervisor, who will work with me to strengthen my article questions and help me be successful. I don't have to do this alone. Finally, I need to realize that I'm not in an adversarial relationship with my subject. They want the article to succeed as much as I do. So if I have questions or further research that I need to do, I can call them and they will help me.
Franklin Roosevelt said that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. That is so true. If we name the fear, we have already gone far towards winning our battle. Nebulous anxiety is able to overcome and overwhelm; fear that is named becomes a problem to be solved.
But what about fears that don't have easy fixes? I will look at that in the next post.
Wow! Great insight, Meg! And SO true! Often we have fear we can't, or, more likely, won't identify; and identification is one of the keys that will tear the casing off that fear and start to dismantle it. When you can 'look your fear in the face' you can really see it for what it is and start to work on it. When you do that, you're more likely to find the courage to confront it, the determination to abolish it; and the persistence to keep chipping away at chronic fears that just seem to return—over and over and over again.
ReplyDeleteAnd when Jesus says, "Do NOT (my emphasis) let your heart be troubled," it's a reminder that WE are really the ones in control of our fears, aren't we? It's our responsibility to be proactive about not letting them overcome us; to stand firm and not let them have their way over us. And when we go to God's word, and read His marvelous promises, we have the tools to confront, stand firm and persist. And that's really when the peace of God will truly guard our hearts—put little (or big!) protective tents around them, so your heart won't fall prey to attacks.
I just read that some people believe that fear is a spirit of evil. It may well, be; but I know that it is a 'spirit' that I often invite in because of my weakness, habits, fatigue, physical or emotional disabilities...you name it. When I am soaking myself in God's word, though, I experience fear less often and respond to it much better and more effectively. I am more able to resist it or send it away. My armor is on, and the arrows the adversary sends my way don't penetrate, because Jesus—the living Word—stands ready to take them for me. He is my covering and shield.
I'm looking forward to your next post on fear! There certainly are those that don't have 'easy fixes' aren't there...?
Blessings,
Andrea Arthur Owan
http://brokenheartsredeemed.blogspot.com
Thank you Meg! Your article is timely and your advice is right on:
ReplyDeleteFace your fear
Name your fear
Overcome your fear
Also, you made me think that my fear is an opportunity like it says in James 1: 2-4, 2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
The opportunity is to rejoice and endure when fear comes my way because the freedom from fear that Jesus offers becomes real when I am humble and dependent on Him. Fear gives my relationship with Jesus an opportunity to grow.
God bless your day,
Lee Escobedo (http://leesniteradio.com/)
Thanks, Lee and Andrea. Sorry to be a while getting back to you. I forgot all about this address, since I switched to wordpress. My address there is megvillanuevaauthor.wordpress.com. Thanks!
ReplyDelete