Facing Our Fears

Sunday we talked about how fear can suck the oxygen out of our bowls. I think this is something that everyone can identify with at some point.

Generally I'm able to absorb things, focus on solutions, and move forward. But sometimes those rational and irrational fears become tangled in such a way that it consumes ones thoughts. I have, on occasion, felt times like that, where you can't help but feel weighed down by those things that creep into your thoughts.

I've found that it can happen at the most unexpected times. Friday was one of those times. I went to the movies — as is my custom — and it was the perfect storm of things that were going on in my personal life being magnified by what happened in a fictional story, and within 10 minutes my focus was completely shattered. I joked that it caused an existential crisis. Really, it just amplified things that were already on my mind, things I had been working to push below the surface.

I was reminded of something Francis Chan talks about in his book "Crazy Love." He talks about our lack of understanding and appreciation for God allowing us to let the things of this world weigh us down. I think that's a pretty fair description of what happened to me on Friday.

I really identified with what Pastor Graham said on Sunday, that we need to give those fears to God because He is great at bearing those fears. That's where trust comes in.

There are many things in this world, and in our lives, that can feel too big to handle. It's during those times that we should be comforted by the fact we know the One who is in control of everything.