Reflections from your Pastor……

          Fear can be a powerful motivating factor, thrusting us headlong into something or somewhere we didn’t believe we could or may not have wanted to go.  Conversely, it can be that which causes us to “freeze up” and not take any action at all. As many times as God calls us to have no fear, to only trust, to only believe or have faith, I find myself fearful at times. I might chastise myself for not trusting in God enough or I might find myself trying to figure out how to control or fix the issue that is causing my fear. Either way, I’m missing the obvious question; why am I so afraid? I know there are many things in this life that can scare us, things that can cause us to be so fearful, we lock ourselves away, literally and metaphorically. But when we examine our fear, look at it, unravel it, we just might discover that it is a natural response to things that are mostly out of our control. In figuring out what we are afraid of, we often take away the power of that situation to instill fear in us. In my conversations with folks I try to get around to the question, “What are you most afraid of?”  And more often than not, at the core of their fear are things that are beyond their control. This presents an incredible opportunity. An opportunity to trust that God has something in mind for this issue, for my fear, for my dilemma, for my troubles. It can allow us to realize that the God who calmed the seas, can calm the storm in me. We can discover that when we are able to trust in the God of the universe, the God of all creation, the God of new life, our worries and our fears can be lightened because we no longer feel we need to be in control. So we will still experience fear; but know this in your heart and your mind, there is a God who can conquer whatever it is you are facing and that God loves you beyond your wildest imagination.