Confession time! I am a chicken! I mean I’m a real scaredy cat! You’re probably wondering what an ATM card, a chicken and a scaredy cat all have in common. There is a correlation here, just give me a few minutes to gather my thoughts.
It’s almost embarrassing to admit that I struggle with fear. Fear of heights, fear of being left alone, fear of falling off high places, fear of getting lost, fear of failing at my job, and fear of being a bad mother (Kenny, Sarah, and Kaitlyn: your feedback is not needed!) A few years ago, I had to fly back from Milwaukee by myself as Mark was staying behind to attend meetings in offices in New Berlin, WI. I almost didn’t go with Mark on this trip because I knew that I would have to fly back home by myself. But then I got thinking “What would that say to Kenny and his family if I choose not to go visit them in Milwaukee just because of my irrational fear?” The fear of flying alone has so many components: What if I don’t like my seatmate on the plane? (Yeah, let’s make this all about my comfort!!) What if I get a window seat and I have to use the loo?! I’d have to ask everyone in the row to move so I could get out! What if I get on the wrong plane and end up in Istanbul…because that happens daily!! Ugh.
And then…the Holy Spirit tapped me on the shoulder and asked me “What do I have to say about ‘fear’?” Ummm, good question but I’m not sure I want to know the answer because that would mean that I’m being disobedient to your Word!
Psalm 23:4 Even when walking through the dark valley of death I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me, guarding, guiding all the way. (Living Bible Paraphrase)
Even when I walk through the dark valley of death!! Or as in my version: “Even when I walk through the terminals of an unfamiliar airport I will not be afraid of getting on a plane bound for Istanbul, for you are close beside me, guarding, guiding all the way!”
Oh, and then the Holy Spirit tapped me on the shoulder again, because I tend to be a slow learner, and He asked me “Now what do I say about ‘Courage’?” Ummm, can I just work on the “fear” issue first and then we can work on the “courage” thing?
Do you know how many times the word “courage” is used in the Bible? Me neither, but it’s a lot!! And it’s usually preceded with “Be strong!”
Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (NIV)
“Have I not commanded you?” Yeah, this being brave and courageous isn’t an optional thing! We, as believers are commanded to be courageous! Ouch!
Matthew 14:27 “But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” (NIV)
“Take courage!” Not, “Well…if you feel like it, why don’t you try to be a little more brave.” This is a command! Not a suggestion.
I’m a visual learner. You can tell me something over and over again but until I see it or can get my hands on it, I probably won’t retain it. So with the whole “courage” thing, I like to think of it this way:
God has a big bank and each one of us believers has an account in this bank with our name on it. And in these accounts, there is everything we need to live a successful spiritual life. I believe that God has deposited a huge amount of “courage” into each one of our accounts and all we need to do is make a withdrawal. It’s like having millions of dollars in the bank and living like a pauper! God tells me to “Take courage!” or “Make a withdrawal, kid!”. I have, at my disposal, an unlimited amount of courage but I live life like a scaredy cat. How much does that frustrate God?
So, with all that being said, I need to use that debit card (oh and mine won’t have a chip. I really don’t like the new cards with the chip. It’s much more fun swiping that card than just inserting it and waiting for the beep of approval!) and I need to be constantly withdrawing from my spiritual account.
So the next time any of my friends see me looking like a deer caught in the headlights because I’m dreading something or fearing something, just remind me that I need to pull out my atm card and take out some courage!
tapmyshoulder 