Tattered to Tethered

This morning for Tuesday’s In Other Words we were told, “You are on our own." Our hostess isn’t feeling well which I hope she gets better soon and our leader has a wedding to prepare for this weekend. Awesome Loni, have fun! So here I go off on my own, generally for me that can be dangerous but let’s see where it leads me. Ha ha

Sitting down and looking at what I might choose for myself my eyes and heart falls on quotes about fear and courage.

Quotes such as these:

• Courage is doing your duty even in fear
• Walk it out, pray it out. Feel the fear and move forward anyway
• Fear is a jail cell locked from the inside. False evidence appearing real; do it afraid what is right
• A secure life is not one without problems but one grounded, tethered, secure in God.

When you go on Facebook the catchy question they use to get people to open up and post something is the question, “What’s on your mind?” Whoa, sometimes the “can of worms” that opens flies out in abundance and other times it’s just a simple little remark, encouragement, or view of the days activity.

Answering that question from my blog today, “What’s on your mind?” I would have to say, “My family, my grandchildren, and what lies ahead.” I don’t necessarily feel fear yet I’m afraid, concerned, worried, distressed, and a few other mixed emotions in the pot of feelings that is being stirred today.

What I like about these quotes is how they encourage me to deal with things in my life even if I can’t pinpoint the one emotion of “fear.” When you think of fear you think of something scaring you, frightening, terrifying or spooky. Today I’m thinking of it in a little mellower fashion. Something more like hesitation, uncertainty, or anticipation of what’s ahead.

The quotes I collected today to help me thru tell me that having courage is my duty in spite of the fear or uncertainty I feel. I’m told to walk it out, pray it out, and move forward anyway in spite of the fear. Truly fear is a jail cell locked from the inside. It is created by false evidence appearing real and no matter what, we are to go ahead and do what needs to be done. In other word, “do it afraid what is right.”

The result of trusting God and having faith in Him is what the last quote covers as it tells me a secure life is not one without problems but one grounded, tethered, and secure in God. Life gets scary. There are things that come up, things that happen, and things that will tatter and tear us apart if we allow them. Uncertainties we are required to walk thru and we need to make it our duty to face them head on with the faith we have in God to see us thru.

There is no doubt about it the best way to travel is to walk it out, pray it out and move forward. Too often situations have a way of paralyzing us into stopping and never going any further. No, I take that back we can’t blame “situations” it’s our attitude, our lack of trust and faith, therefore it’s our fear that stops us.

Fear is a jail cell that locks from the inside of us where we are the only ones who have access to the key. The key of faith and trust in God unlocks the fear that halts us and opens a door we can move forward thru past the false evidence that appears way too real. Afraid or not we need to do what is right in spite of fear. We can’t let it cripple us, stop us, alter where we need to be in life simply because we don’t want to deal with it.

Wouldn’t it be nice if a secure life meant one that was without problems, without fear, without tough challenges, and hard lessons? As nice as it would be it doesn’t happen that way and the sooner we realize that the better off we will be. Too many people think coming to Christ will put them on the list of problem-free living but it doesn’t. The truth is the secure life is one that is grounded, tethered, and secure in God having Him as their foundation, anchor, and guidepost. Grounded by faith and tethered by trust.

It’s like what they say about plants and trees. The plants and trees that often are the strongest are the ones that have survived the storms in life. When a storm comes up their roots firmly dig into the soil to keep them from being taken away by the strong winds they are up against. We need to have strong roots in our faith and trust in God. When the storms in life come up we need to dig those roots into our soul strong and harder than ever before. When the storm passes, the fear is gone, we come out not like a tattered and torn flag that has been whipped around and shredded but a person who was tethered (secure, bound, tied, hitched, fastened) to Christ made stronger by each storm, made securer in each act of trust.

God is the one who sees the big picture. All we can do is deal with the little bits of scenery we are allowed to see. I need to trust in God today no differently than yesterday with the knowledge and hope that each tomorrow brings more strength, more security, more faith in God. Done so as I walk it out pray it out as I go from tattered and torn to tethered in Christ.

Dear Heavenly Father, today is in Your hands as it always was and will be. Forgive me for trying to handle it myself, for changing from tethered to tattered just because I allowed fear to come and roost on the doorstep of my heart. Take me through this day that Your will, will be done. To You be the glory and praise forever for seeing us through and walking along beside us to strengthen us where we feel weak and encourage us where we need a nudge to move forward. In your Son’s precious name I pray, AMEN.

© 2012 Karen J Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing       In Other Words Tuesday