Annual Fear Factor

In anticipation of our middle daughter’s return from college for Thanksgiving, we’ve decided to get Christmas decorations up early.  So, last Friday I psyched myself up for the annual ‘hanging of outside lights event’.  For some, it would be a piece of cake. For me, I get to experience an overwhelming ‘cat on a hot tin roof’ feeling…enough to land me on the psychologist’s couch.  After standing, surveying, psyching myself up for the second story level – I went for it.

Actually, it went quite well.  I made yet another personal discovery to make next year’s seemingly more plausible — and after finishing, went into the house quite proud of myself.  The next morning though, something was awry…like really bad awry.  Every muscle in my upper back and neck felt …just wrong.  Even my ‘glutes’ ridiulously felt the sting of the day before.  The strangeness lasted all day, and thanks to some Ibuprofen, prayer and stretching I made it through the weekend services.   Four days later, the effects are still slightly there.

Only later it dawned on me, last year yielded the same results.  Both mornings after, I felt the pain.  Crazy!  But again, I realized just how fearful I am on the edge up that roofline, reaching over with clip and strand in hand.  Every muscle must tense up way beyond what they are used to, so they decided again to let me know their wrath about 18 hours later.

We are living in fearful times for most.  Unless you just choose to avoid reality altogether and live ‘free’, the truth is, uncertainty plagues our collective tomorrow.  But, here is where faith and God’s Word are ever-relevant.  Fear is a common theme to the Bible’s addressing of life.  Everybody will experience fear!  Yet, trust is the ever-present reality for the follower of God.  Not just any faith, or any trust; but, both must be firmly directed in God.  Nothing in our tomorrow will surprise Him.  We are constantly reminded to follow Him in faith, not fear;  trust, not despair.  We can live all tensed up today with the effects tomorrow, or relax and trust and know He will be there, as He is here with us right now.   The choice is ours.