FEAR - TRUST

Sunday devotional for 3/10/13

There are many responses people have to fearful situations.  Sometimes we are startled by something and it makes us jump.  Our response often is to turn and face what startled us in order to check it out and see what it was.  Other times the fear is right in front of us and we respond with either fight or flight. We either attack it to keep it from hurting us, or we turn tail and run for the hills.  But sometimes the fear is more subtle.  It may be an apprehension of being verbally hurt by someone, so we either avoid them or we crawl inside ourselves, thinking we can hide right in front of them if we just act the "right" way.  Those who suffer from significant trauma sometimes even develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD.  This might include hyper-startle responses where there is an overreaction to sudden noises, smells, sights or touch.  Or someone with PTSD may go into a dissociative state where they stare straight ahead as if they were staring a thousand miles away, a way of removing oneself mentally from the threatening situation. Some even have flashbacks where a terrifying situation is literally relived over again in the mind, and all the physical responses occur again like racing heart, shortness of breath and sweating. The responses to fear in PTSD are generally out of proportion to the current situation, and the person often has a difficult time facing that fear.  One acronym people use for the word FEAR is Forget Everything And Run, which is often what we do in response to something frightening.  Sometimes it is appropriate to run in order to remain safe.  There are many different types of fearful situations as well as many different responses to them.

We might do well to pay attention to our responses to fear and consider trying different actions.  We need to ask ourselves, "Am I running to keep myself physically safe from harm, or am I running to avoid something I need to face?"  One response I did not include above would be to look up.  By that I mean to trust in God to help us in our time of need.  Trust is putting our hope and confidence in our all-powerful God, relying on him to provide what we need.  Trust can be used along with other responses at the same time, such as making sure you are physically safe and protecting yourself in whatever way needed.  That does not negate the trust we place in God - he can give us those other responses as tools for safety if that is what we need. An acronym for TRUST is Total Reliance Under Stressful Times.  We rely on God at ALL times, stressful or not, but trusting him is especially comforting when facing our fears.

When I am afraid, I will trust in you.  In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?  Psalm 56:3-4 NIV

written by Jan Andersen