Today is Day 16. The collective can be read here. I am joining The Nester for the remainder of October with other 31 Dayer’s .
I don’t even want for fear to have its own title, headline, place in bold, upfront in this series.
I want nothing to do with fear, for I have given enough space and time and energy to it already.
Writing about it is even painful.
But isn’t that giving in. Letting fear sap energy. Tremble knees. Shake confidence. Rattle senses. Muss up the mind.
Isn’t fear numbing and paralyzing when it gets any room in a life.
It is greedy and boorish. Demanding and a bully. It saps Joy, drains the good, pulls the plug and lets hope rush down the drain like dirty bath water filled with bubbles of maybe.
Just maybe writing of fear, restores Hope. Writing of fear and meeting it head on pushes it back, meets it head on, faces it down.
Fear has erased days and bound me up. It has named seasons. It has defined seasons of unknowing, of infertility and waiting years to add children to a family, by birth and adoption.
It has crippled in seasons of waiting for a husband to return, after a season of separation, marked the days dark and long. Tried to wrangle all life out of the days of healing, to rename me the one whose husband left. Fear says failure and brokenness rather than Hope and Security.
Fear takes the good plans of God for redemption and restoration and leaves you frozen in unknowing, hopeless, hope dwindling and the self demanding an answer now, the self commanding and controlling outcomes.
Fear robs the days left with a child at home, when the self chooses to demand to know the future, and it demands to know it will be labeled good by the world’s standards, good by the description of the self-focused soul.
Fear teams up with frozen and frightened and steals the hours and days of a life with a power that is unbroken, but for Jesus.
When healing and His redemptive love restore a Hopeful, Trusting Heart, the fire of fear is doused and diminished. And the pile of ashes is blown anew with a Spirit of new-life and radiant restorative re-birth.
The days of waiting on children’s birth, marriages restored and even financial struggles to end are marked by a wholeness from leaning hard into Him and softening the stone-cold places that fear and trembling have made tough as a frozen tundra. Made life-less.
Anxiety and worry have fueled enough days, with OCD re-routing a life ,bound it up in chains, set the heart on a new gear worthy of a NASCAR winner. Chased me round and round, like a pack of rapid dogs. Spun me round, dizzy, like a child on a playground whirly gig until nausea and fatigue take the weary spirit to the ground.
Fear fuels the tongue and raises the volume and chooses the words. Takes control when control feels lost. Shouts orders demands her way. Raises the blood pressure, raises the stakes, reddens the face, and raises the roof.
Who wins when fear is in charge and shouts at the top of her fearful lungs and blow her battle weary bugle – CHARGE. Who falls in line, follows? Who feels called in love to go her way. There are no winners when fear leads the weary into the unknown places.
And slips into the night, commands the dreams and rattles the sleepy, gets you up to pace the floors at night, creaking lonely in the midnight hour, draining the life from a tomorrow. Re-naming the days to come as weary and hopeless.
Fear gets the title here. Fear gets a word in this 31 Day Series of Words, but only because Fear gives Hope an opportunity to do her best work, to come in and breathe a breath of new living and redemptions glory.
The reigns are dropped, the bridled grip on frozen frightened doubt and worry loosed, and Hope and Trust ride off on wings of eagles, bound for a life lived with glimpses of the glory of heaven.
Today I am joining the lovely Nacole at Six In The Sticks. She is writing on fear for 31 Days at The Nester. You can read more of her hope-filled writing there. And I will not let fear cripple my attempts to workout the technical glitches to guest post there. Still Hopeful. See you at Nacole’s, but still here.
Joining Eileen and Jen and Emily
Thank you for adding to the conversation by adding your beautiful words to the discussion. You bring so much more when your words are apart of this community.
elizabeth w. marshall 
This is worship, friend. Truly. And beautifully. Rich blessings as He leads you through this season and closer to His real and true love for you. {hugs}
Oh dear Amy, you…Yes life lived out in His outstretched arms. Free and freer everyday. He is a Freedom Fighter, no? He is a Chain Breaker, no? Love that He fights for us to be free….celebrating freedom with you.
I believe that, most of the time, calling out fear by its name takes its power away. I lived in a world of fear for far too long, too. It takes real strength the break those chains and not live governed by the paralyzing fear. This was beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
Sherry, yes looking at it, staring it down with an honest stare down. Right, Honestly admitting it.Then He breaks those chains. His redemptive work is beautiful. And oh that we wouldn’t live a day in fear.And oh that we would run into His hope filled arms. I grieve at the thought of the fear that paralyzes for my sisters. Oh but freedom waits.
In my greatest fears…I have seen God pout more grace and hope than this heart can say in words. God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7 Let us chew and swallow that truth so that it nourishes our soul. Blessings to you friend. Love your post.
You bring such hope through this 2 Timothy passage. Yes, I have clung to this back in the days of deep fear. And now today it breathes fresh, I am chewing on His word and swallowing His truth, right with you sister. Yes to the hope He pours out in the middle of fear. Yes to His grace covering. Love that you are here.
Oops, I meant God pour.
Ah, yes, God pour. Your heart was known before you spoke it.
Lovely blog and great series! Thanks for visiting me at Doorkeeper. Blessings!
It was a pleasure visiting there. The journey is richer in community. I hope you will come again during this October series. I have met many and learned much.
You bless! Much love to you Elizabeth. 🙂 This morning I have read much about fear and how God always shows up, His Presence and Light felt so strongly in the darkest times and places. I am just nodding and whispering “amen”.
And hoping to see you again. Seeing you here is a rich blessing. This series is more joyful with a community of pilgrims.
Oops, that was for another. Oh friend I hear your amens and I too have read much recently about fear. Its a sacred echo to my soul. Your smile, radiant, casts a light of hope and shines bright on trembling fear, my friend.
Love this line especially: “Fear gives Hope an opportunity to do her best work.”
Oh yeah! That’s what I’m talkin about!
Every fear has no place at the sound of Your great name . . .
Amen, Elizabeth!
Kelli, oh your precious face here and words to boot, fill me up with the happy. Yes, yes, fear has no place. So today, I am choosing JOY. And hoping to hang tight to it. There is an army of women kicking fear soundly to the curb. Let’s join and wrestle fear to the mat, and take the fire from the belly of fear, anxiety and worry. YES?
fear is something I have dealt with most of my life. But, we serve a God of peace, of assurance and He has defeated fear. Thank you for this post. I am going to share it with some friends going through a hard place right now in their adoption process. they are fearful this evening and I know your words will serve to minister peace and hope to them. Thanks you, DAF
Your wise words here are comfort to my soul. I am humbled you have friends in the adoption process that may find something of comfort in this post. And that you are sharing, I know they desire and need to be surrounded by those that understand, who can comfort them in the waiting. Glad they have you DAF.
you bless me with your words. thank you. Continuing to pray for you and yours.
Thanks for your continued prayer and for speaking and writing and just being a part of this community. Love to you.
i am learning perfect love, the kind that casts out … the kind that transforms. slowly. and i think it starts with loving ourselves. thank you for another stirringly beautiful post, friend. xo
Yes, perfect love casts out fear. I want it cast as far from me as possible. It is a robber of joy. Thank you for allowing me to partner with you. I am to the moon thinking of how many copies of your book will rest in the hands of the broken. And those desirous of hope. You make my life richer, em.