When I’m Afraid

Posted: May 26th, 2011   Category: Christianity, Common Sense, prosperity

Psalms 56:3 “When I am afraid, I will trust in you“.  This of course refers to the love, power and wisdom of the Lord, not to any other mortal, not to any place, judgement or action and not to or from any objects.  Oddly enough, such trust is too often our approach of last resort.  With each first fear, we reactively do what has become natural for us.  We first lean upon our tangible resources, in an effort to resolve our own dilemmas.  Often that works for us and it is quickly ingrained in our behavioral patterns as a logical approach to our many other fears.  Later we turn to experts with more refined skills than our own.  We are fearful of many things from broken hearts to long term commitments.  From losing wealth and possessions, to lifelong poverty.  From disabilities to death.  The list is endless but until pressed toward the edge of personal extinction, we often fail to grasp, what for many should be our greatest fear, a permanent separation from God.

This saga begins in our earliest years.  As children we are forced to trust our caretakers, since we are unable to care for ourselves or to rationalize anything or anyone more real and dependable than a caretaker.  Our immediate needs are usually addressed in a tangible way. When hungry we are fed and satisfied.  When soiled we are cleaned.  When confused, distraught or fearful, we are comforted by companionship and knowledge. When hurt or sick we are attended to. As we grow, we learn to do those things for ourselves which our caretakers once did for us. These learned activities become the top tools in our chest of tangible resources. A few children, some lucky enough to have spirit filled caretakers and some others who lack caretakers altogether, are taught or out of necessity, turn to another, less tangible, but significantly more reliable personal resource, God.  Trust becomes more important when our fears produce more desperation.  There will come a time in everyone’s life when mortals, money, medicine and counseling, even in their zenith, can simply no longer address or alleviate our most pressing fears. At that time, many of us turn to God, out of desperation.  If you’re a parent, or if you simply love someone dearly, it’s unlikely that you’d want your relationships to be based solely on their desperation.  Love and trust are inseparable. God loves every one of us.  Fairness, would have each of us trusting in God, for everything, not just the alleviation of our fears.  God is great when we’re afraid and even greater when we’re not.  Learn for yourself, invite God into your life today.

JC Calkins with COMMON SENSE 4 UNCOMMON PEOPLE

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