FEAR

 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
       I will fear no evil;
 For You are with me;

Psalm 23:4 

Living in the grip of fear is just as suffocating and perilous as what we fear.  And what we fear may never come to pass.  So how do we cope with fear?  Some say, “Do it afraid,” but I believe that’s a very dangerous philosophy.  Decisions made, words spoken and actions taken in fear can result in making things worse.   

Some embrace fear, believing if they are not worrying or “what if-ing” they are not being a conscientious caregiver.  Others deny fear exists only to have it bubble up as anger or impatience. 

God’s Word tells us to not be afraid more times than He tells us to love, trust or serve!  Fear is a lie from the enemy and we need to learn how to disarm it before it takes hold of our thoughts. 

The first step is to take stock of what you are afraid of.  For caregivers, we are so often afraid of what will happen to the person we care for if we die or what will happen to us if they die.  We are afraid of what other people think.  We are afraid of hard decisions, and the list goes on.   

The next step is to break down why we are afraid.  Imagine the worst possible scenario and really walk through it:  If ________ happens, then __________.  Exposing our worst fears to the light and addressing them in a practical way can bring our hysterical or self-destructive thoughts back to a manageable level of reality. 

Finally, we must hold our fears up against the Truth.  When we listen to and believe God’s promises instead of Satan’s lies we can reach a place of trust and peace.  Our most important breakthrough, our greatest victory, comes when we don’t just trust God to let us avoid what we fear, but that we trust Him even if our worst fears come true.