It's a scary time in our country. We've cooked up a big old fear cocktail, made with a bottle of violence, a mixer of economic problems and a couple shots of distrust. I was talking with a friend about about all the things people are worried about today, and It reminded me of how afraid I used to be of flying. As I look back I realize that's the last thing I should have been afraid of.
But there I was, in my 20s, on a plane to visit my husband who was training at Ft. Benning. In the seat next to me was an Air Force cadet from Mississippi and he noticed how nervous I was. He leaned over and spoke to me, almost in a whisper. "Maa'am," he said in a slow Southern drawl, "They's got insuments up there to tell 'em what their insuments are doin'. Don't you fret." How kind he was, but although I was less frightened, I was not going to be happy until my feet were on the ground.
Today, our fears are bigger. In the past few years we've gone through a pandemic, where masked people fought battles over packages of Charmin as we got required injections, wore masks, and were quarantined in our homes. Now we are seeing empty shelves, crazy high gas prices, and the highest inflation rates in 50 years. A friend told me his 401K is now only a 201K due the declining stock market and he is very fearful. I could go on the list of fears are endless, affecting different folks in different ways, but we're all wondering where this will end. Last week UNITE INDY had a big second-chance job fair for those who need work after long jail sentences. They are even more scared. Like me on that jet plane, they are afraid about the future and what will happen to them.
One thing I've learned in the many years since that airplane flight is that: IN YOUR LIFE YOU WILL HAVE FEAR. It's the enemy's way of bringing you to your knees, to make you feel weak, worried and unable to cope. If you're all tied up in the tethers of fear and the anger that often follows, you will not emerge a winner. You can't. Three thousand years ago the prophet Isaiah (35:4) said this to a very fearful group: "Be strong, fear not! God will come with a vengeance and He will save you."
Then 800 years later, Jesus updated the language, "My peace I give to you do not be troubled or afraid," So, the message is: Be peaceful and not fearful or worried. These words give us the keys to both mental stability and a lifetime of happiness, but only if we choose correctly.
So, is it Door No. 1 or Door No. 2? Faith or fear? Do you have the mental discipline to choose wisely? You can only pick one. Is it going to be an airliner crashing as it carries you to see your husband? Or is it going to be a belief that capable pilots will deliver you safely? Is it "I'll never get through this," or is it I can do all things through Him who strengthens me?"
(HINT: Pick Door No. 1.)
Nancy
