Identify the source of your worries. Did you grow up in a fear-filled family, always
feeling insecure, never measuring up, and never hearing words of affirmation and
approval? Are you listening to the prophets of doom, hearing only about what's
wrong, and how much worse it's going to get? What's the source of your anxiety?
What feeds your worries? Until you can express your fears you can't expel them.
Putting your worries into words disrobes them. They look weak and silly standing
there naked.
In his novel Life of Pi, Yann Martel's main character, Pi, finds himself
adrift at sea on a lifeboat with a 450-pound Bengal tiger as his companion. While on
the lifeboat, Pi begins to analyse his fears, both of the sea and the tiger. He gives
this counsel: 'You must fight hard to express your [fear]. You must fight hard to shine
the light of words upon it. Because if you don't, if your fear becomes a wordless
darkness that you avoid, perhaps even manage to forget, you open yourself to
further attacks of fear because you never truly fought the opponent who defeated
you.' So pull back the curtain and expose your fears, each and every one. Like
vampires, they can't stand the sunlight. Financial fears, relationship fears,
professional fears, safety fears - call them out in prayer. Drag them out and make
them stand before God. How do you do that? 'Don't worry about anything; instead,
pray about everything... Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds
anything we can understand...' (vv. 6-7 NLT). |
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