fear

We have choices to make~

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Can I be honest? There are a lot of sad and disruptive events taking place these days. There truly are concerns that have many people feeling unsettled and uncertain about their world, their leaders, and their futures. I have talked to many of them; they are feeling overwhelmed, feeling sad. There are days when I do as well.

Disheartening events impact us on every level: thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Violence inspires worry, fear, and anxiety. The anxiety created by current events is all-encompassing and can keep us from living fully. And that is my concern. Having such increased social media and television shows/Books that mirror the events in our world only make it more challenging to come up for air!

What steps can we take to help ourselves or those we care about to redirect their anxieties and use that energy in a fruitful, impacting way? Is there anything tangible that we can do? Well, what we know about fear and anxiety is that underneath it all is a lack of feeling a sense of control; being left at the effect of someone’s leadership choices, weather events, or other disruptive situations.

We cannot control all those factors but we can control a number of choices we make that would calm our concerns and build purpose in our lives. We can make some life changes that would give us peace in the midst of uncertain days.

First and foremost, find a place of worship.   Knowing that we have a God who is incredibly mindful of us, taking time to pray about the concerns in our hearts, and locking arms with others of strong faith will make an surprising and powerful difference in how you see the world.

Limit (I mean really limit) social media. By saying this I am not saying that we put our heads in the sand but seeing news stories over and over again is unhealthy. We know for sure that what the media reports is a steady diet of what is going wrong; we rarely hear a story of what’s going right. Do a daily “flyover” but try not to make social media a steady diet.

Keep a gratefulness journal each day. What went right? Where was kindness shown? Who did I help?  What made me laugh?  When we commit to looking for the good in each day it can literally change the way we see our circumstances.

Do something good for others. Give your time where you can impact your community in a positive way! No, we cannot change the whole world but we can make a difference in the community around us.

Always be sure to spend time with life-giving people; family and friends. Talk about things you can celebrate, appreciate, and enjoy. Try to stay out of a host of doomsday conversations; rather ignite hope and vision in one another.

Again, we cannot control all the elements in our world but we can take back control of how we choose to live and navigate our lives and behaviors!  Choose well, choose hope.

 

 I have told you these things so you may have peace in Me. In the world you will have much trouble. But take hope! I have power over the world!” John 16:33

 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:6-7

How, then, Shall We Respond?

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It’s been a challenging season for the United States.

Political unrest, upsurge in racial violence, and random attacks have caused fear and anger all across the land.   People distrusting one another,  speaking poorly of one another, and vicious verbage on Twitter and other social media.  Fear abounds.

Yesterday, waiting in a long line at the Post Office, I had a chance to listen to the numerous conversations around me.  People were irritable, frustrated, critical, and even unkind. I was sad to “hear’ the anger in their voices. Anxiousness and fear abounds.

My dear friend and writer Alisa Nicuad puts it this way in her blog

“3 Ways to Overcome Fear”:

Disaster. Shootings. Deadly diseases.

Every day in the news we hear of lurking threats that could have the potential to strike fear in our hearts. We fear for our country, ourselves and our children. The path our world is headed leaves us vulnerable to anxiety and fear. It’s not just my opinion. It’s a fact.

The National Center for Health Statistics released a report in 2011 stating that 1 in 10 Americans age 12 and older are taking some sort of antidepressant. This is an increase of 400% in a 10 year period (1988-2008). It is now the 3rd most prescribed medication in our country.

Why do I mention that?

Because it’s clear we are having a hard time dealing with the world we live in. Our minds have difficulty dealing with all the tragedy and instabilities. So what can we do?

How, then, should we respond?

There is something called “righteous anger” that fuels us to take a stand for things that matter, to stand for what it good and right.  However, rage and anger only causes dissention, reaction, offenses, and the inability to reason or work together. Fear is often at the core of anger.

What if we chose kindness?

What if we chose to understand? What if we chose proactive behaviour? What if we linked arms to find a way to work together?  What if this was the churches finest hour?  What if we chose grace rather than anger?  What if?……..

If Christ is our example we can see that He “drew” people to Him.  He showed such restraint and grace while believing that troubled people, finding Him, could and would experience peace and real change!  Can we also believe that as we show grace and kindness that other’s might see that same spirit in us during this time of turmoil?

How, then, shall we respond?

Ask yourself. I am asking myself too.

Dreaded October~

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October 2015 ~ Will we survive it?

Over the past few months I have heard; both in conversations and in the news, that this October will bring many brash challenges to we as Americans. There could be an earthquake that will take out the entire Northwest, our American dollar may become an invaluable currency, Iran may nuke China, and on and on the list of predictions goes.

Now, I am all for being as wise and as prepared as possible but when we hear these continual predictions we stand a huge chance of being gripped by fear and anxiety about our lives and those we love.  I have been pondering what I am hearing and wondering what, if anything, I need to change to be better prepared IF something “big” were to take place.

1.  I should try to be out of any debt.

2.  I should have a good size reserve of batteries, water, food, etc.

3.  I should try to be healthy so that I am better able to navigate challenging times.

4.  I should have extra cash hidden away.

Yet, these are all things I am already doing in my normal life. So, WHAT SHOULD I CHANGE TODAY IF THESE THINGS HAPPEN?

Actually, my biggest way to be prepared for challenging times is to trust God more.  Scripture says that He promises to never leave us nor forsake us, He will comfort us, He will provide, He will heal, He will carry us through, and He will give us wisdom to navigate anything that comes our way.

I don’t live my life with my head in the sand, but if I allow all these “predictions” to rob me of my joy, ability to sleep, desire to hope, and heart to care for others then I will move further and further from a life based on trust in a powerful God. I will miss what I could be doing in my life today because I am anxious about what may happen tomorrow!

Hard times do come, challenges do arise, there are uncertainties all around us, this is true but living in consistent fear and anxiety is not the answer!

A better approach can be found in Scripture:

“I lift up my eyes toward the mountains—
    from where will my help come?
My help is from the Lord,
    maker of heaven and earth.”  Psalm 121:1-2

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”  Matthew 2:26

” And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord!”  Romans 8:38-39

Let’s be wise, prepared, and informed people who are full of faith, hope, and trust in a God who keeps His promises!

Remember Y2K? 🙂

We all want to be liked……….

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I DON’T LIKE YOU!!

Ugh, those are 4 words we hate to hear! We hate it when people don’t like us.  I believe we come by that naturally as we are wired up to want to be liked. The challenge is when we find ourselves compromising who we truly are trying to make others like us; admire us.

I read a wonderful statement this morning that got me thinking about this topic of “being liked”.  It expressed “Don’t stay so busy trying to be what you think others want you to be that you forget who you truly are!”  Joyce Meyer

How often do we turn ourselves inside-out to meet the approval of others only to find ourselves disappointed in ourselves? Been there? I have, and here are a few things I have been learning:

1. Not everyone will like me. Yet, truthfully, I don’t have a natural affinity for everyone either.  It’s ok.

2.  The strongest relationships are those where it’s okay to disagree; the shallowest relationships are the ones where we agree simply to stay in someones good graces.

3.  When I work hard to be the best “me” I can be, I am more confident and less affected by whether or not I am “liked”.

4.  When I am willing to be my true, authentic self I find that others who are authentic are drawn to me and our interactions are much more meaningful.

Perhaps asking yourself these questions can help you assess whether or not you are challenged in your need to be liked:

*Do you speak the truth (while still using care, wisdom, and respect) even if it’s unpopular to do so?

*Do you live a life consistent with your Core Values?

*Do you life a life of integrity to the best of your ability?

*Do you believe that your motives are good?

*Is it your goal to be a positive impact in the lives of those around you?

*Do you like who you are?

*Do you “disappear” when interacting with someone whose approval you long for?

Honestly access your answers to these questions.  Perhaps this year we can all learn to be more of our authentic selves in the home, workplace, churches, and communities.  In doing so, we may give others permission to do so as well!! 🙂

” It takes courage to grow up and turn out to be who you really are.”  E. E. Cummings

Just one Footprint in front of the other~

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It was August of 1980, I was 20 years old.  I had agreed to go on a wilderness backpacking trip with my father, sister Jenny and her friend.  The Sierras are so beautiful and I had been away at college so saying “yes” to this event seemed like a good relational decision.  We set off and covered some good ground in the first two days; the sights were beautiful.  Days into our trip we came to a large peak that promised incredible views to those who made the effort to climb to the top. Of course, those with me wanted to do just that!! I agreed to join in knowing that I had an intense fear of heights.  All went well until we reached the part where trail turned to shale and loose rock which changed at the same time the trail changed from a light hike to an intense vertical stretch. I panicked; heart racing, sweating, and high anxiety that paralyzed me.  As the tears came I informed my team that this point in the climb was then end for me. I slowly found a safe place to wait while the others experienced an incredible view from the top. I had missed out.

Seven years ago, Greg, myself, Nate, Dave and numerous family members decided to climb one of the Cascade mountains called The South Sister where the views were renowned. Parts of this hike were meandering and lovely along the creeks and lakes, part of this hike was intensely vertical covered with shale and loose volcanic rock.  Again, I agreed to this mainly for relational purposes knowing that I had an intense fear of heights but hoping I would be able to press through.  All went well until we reached the most vertical peak; high anxiety, sweating, tears caused me to , again, turn around to find a safe place to wait for the climbers who pursued the peak and enjoyed a view that I longed to see.  Again, I had missed out!

Last weekend, my son and daughter in law asked Greg and I if we would like to climb The South Sister with them. To my horror I heard my mouth say “yes”! The relational value seemed to have higher impact for me than the memory of the failure of past attempts to reach the top.  As the days approached I felt anxiety settling in.

THIS TIME THE HIKE WOULD BE DIFFERENT!

It was early in the morning as we set out to climb the ridge that would take us to the steepest portion of the hike. Greg led the way with Azlan following along behind him.  They both have long sturdy legs so it was natural for them to lead the way.  The part that would make all the difference for me in this attempt to complete this hike successfully was in the assistance that my son Dave intuitively provided. Dave would walk in front of me creating large footprints in which I was able to place my foot and secure myself there.  Step after step, mile after mile, on snow, shale, and volcanic rock, he continued this pattern.  Dave would check on me but not once made me feel foolish or slow; he offered only encouragement.

Then I reached THAT POINT, the place that I had never pressed beyond and I knew it was at a crossroad. Looking down created emotional anxiety, looking straight up offered no encouragement whatsoever. I felt my heart begin to race, fear attempted to settle in, and yet I desperately wanted to reach the top with my precious family. This time it needed to be different, this time I didn’t want to miss out!!  Then the Lord spoke to my heart “just one footprint in front of the other Dianna!, Keep your eyes firmly fixed on the path before you.”

I REACHED THE TOP!! I reached the top and got to experience not only an amazing view but the joy of celebrating with my precious family. I didn’t miss out!!!

As I have pondered this experience God has allowed me to see how this applies to my life.  In His word God promises to watch over us, asks us to be anxious for nothing, to trust Him. However, its easy to look at the the challenges we face and to get paralyzed with uncertainty, even fear.  God gently encourages us, never causing us to feel shamed, to put our foot firmly into the safe footprint He has provided for us…..one footprint at a time!

Phil. 4:6

 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

What is your mountain peak? What goal or direction has been thwarted right before you “summit”?  Perhaps you need to hike a fresh path~~one footprint at a time!  ( and can I just say that it is precious when your child sets an example of Christ in your life~Thank you Dave.)