3 Reasons We Shouldn't Fear the Future

 by Barbara Latta

To look at the world’s ills, one could cower in fear of what’s next on the tragedy agenda. Not only have we navigated a worldwide pandemic, we have also endured weather disasters, political stress and civil unrest.

But you know what?

This is nothing new. Since the beginning of time mankind has fought among himself, people have dealt with volcanoes, earthquakes and floods. Nation has warred against nation and strife has not ceased.

Fear is the opposite of faith in God. When we fear, our eyes are on the turmoil around us and not on the Father Who saves us.God’s instructions to His people to fear not appear in the Bible hundreds of times. He knew we would be influenced by the world and events around us and our natural senses would default to looking at tragic or impossible situations. His repetition of this phrase is because we need to hear it so much.

When I was struggling with fear of the future God reminded me of these 3 things.

We shouldn’t live in fear because:

Mount Up With Wings Like Eagles

Recently a friend led us to a video feed of an eagle sitting on a nest in the top of a pine tree on the campus of Berry College in Georgia.  Berry Eagle Cam can be viewed at www.berry.com/eaglecam.

Two eggs have been laid and one of them hatched on February 22 and we watched in awe as the mother eagle fed her young. Its fuzzy head, too big for its body, was wobbling to and fro trying to grasp the meat out of the mother’s beak. Its little body cannot stand on its own yet and is dependent solely on the parents for its life.

Watching this regal bird brought to mind how God takes care of us. He gives us birth into His kingdom and as babies he feeds and nourishes us. He takes care of us when we can’t stand, picks us up when we fall, and keeps us protected with His mighty hand. When we are in the developing stage, He lets us depend on the faith of others to help us believe, but the time comes when we are expected to become mature enough to trust Him because of our relationship with Him. We need to feed on His Word and not always depend on someone else to spoon feed it to us.

The eaglet will soon develop into a young bird strong enough to leave the nest. That first time must be scary, but if it doesn’t take that first leap into the air the eagle will never learn to fly. When that young eaglet first launches away from the nest and starts to fall, the mother bird is there to swoop down and let it land on her back until her young spreads its wings again and lifts off.

God is always there to guide us as we learn to spread our wings of faith and obey.  Every step of trust we take gets us out of the nest of our own comfort zone and into the kingdom of faith that shows us we can rise above the circumstances of life.

Writing this blog, starting a book, and speaking before my writers group are all things I have done in the last year that have forced me out of my comfort zone, but have also been things that have produced a launching pad of learning to soar.

With His wind under our wings, we can fly like eagles above every storm, conquer every predator that attacks us, and grow into the majestic child of God He intends us to be.

What are some things you have done that have helped you grow out of your comfort zone?

Blooms, Blossoms, and Dead Leaves

I took a deep breath of cool, fall air as the breeze blew against my face. Orange, red, yellow, and purple trees swathed the mountainside in a palette of color. God's handiwork called for us to stop and enjoy the view.

As I looked over the valley between the mountains the wind blew leaves from the trees in front of my face. I captured one and admired its brilliant color. This leaf was detached from its life giving source. It would soon wither and fade and become mulch on the ground as it decayed. It's purpose had been accomplished and it was time for the tree to let go and make room for the new growth spring would bring.

Our lives can become cluttered with dead leaves. We hold on to old things that still look good to us because it is familiar or has been a way of thinking for a long time. But new growth cannot begin until the old is detached and discarded. One of the things I have needed to change is a feeling of inadequacy. I have been asked to fill a leadership position in a group I am a member of and it will often require being a speaker or teacher. I have never thought of myself as a leader, but I can't grow and become what I want to be as long as the dead leaves of feeling unqualified stay attached to me. I have to depend on viewing my image based on who I am in Christ.

Even if what you are holding on to was once beautiful, like the leaves it's purpose could be now be dead. It's time for new growth. Blossoms and blooms can only appear when the dead has been discarded.

Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?