MARY’S MISSION
Invite God Into Your Fears By Mary Arcement Alexander
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)
G
od is clear when He speaks to us about not being afraid. He wants us to let go of our fears so much that He mentions it roughly 365 times in the Bible. And yet, we still choose to live in fear. Fr. Ron Hoye from “The God Minute” podcast had a rather interesting view on this subject. He states that God does not tell us we are wrong for feeling fear, but rather God is asking us to invite Him into our fear. What a simple concept, yet seemingly impossible feat. As I write this article, our world is shrouded in fear. People are fearful of catching COVID-19, fearful of losing their jobs, fearful of not being able to find another job, fearful they will lose all their money, lose their home, lose everything and end up with nothing. Prior to the virus outbreak, the vast majority of people were already living in some form of fear. I hear over and over again from clients how afraid they are of something or perhaps even someone. Fear is irrational, a lie we tell ourselves, a lie we believe. Some would say, fear is false evidence of things appearing real. Whichever way you choose to define it, the bottom line is this, fear equals lying. “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27) What about you? What are you afraid of? What keeps you up at night? What fills your heart with panic? What will debilitate you if you’re not careful? After reading this article I ask this of you: sit down in a quiet, comfortable spot with your pen and paper and begin listing all of your fears. It does not matter the order, just write them down one by one. Then go back and place a star next to the ones you’ve struggled with throughout most of your life. From there, underline the ones that are currently causing negative impacts in your life (anxiety, depression, anger, etc.). When your pen has stopped, come to your knees and invite God into your fears. Trust He hears you and will say without hesitation, “Yes! I was hoping you would ask.” Can you hear His excitement? Can you feel His warmth as He steps into your fears? I pray you do for He is there with you and will not forsake you. I encourage you to invite Him in daily if necessary. Sometimes in life it feels like we just can’t. I caution those of you who are in this space. For whatever you tell yourself, you are right. Be mindful to tell yourself the good even if, especially if, you don’t feel it. When I am walking in fear it feels much like walking in mud. It is
messy and difficult. And if I am not careful, I will sink into it. But the good news is mud eventually turns to dirt which is still messy but much easier to navigate and free from sinking. Brothers and sisters, God loves us more than we can ever fathom. More than we will ever love our children, our spouses, Arcement Alexander ourselves. He is ALWAYS greater than our fears. His love can and will sustain us as we walk through our fears. For we do not get over fear, we go through it. Imagine the worst rain storm you’ve ever driven in. Was it endless? Are you still driving in it? Of course not. Eventually, no matter how long it stormed, you drove through it. And on the other side, the sun shone. As you begin to walk through your fears, no matter how long it “storms,” keep moving through to the other side, there the Son will be shown.
Mary Arcement Alexander is a Licensed Professional Counselor who has her own practice in Shreveport, LA. You can contact her at mkarcement@gmail.com
MAY 2020 21
