“Yea, though, I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me . . .” – Psalm 23:4
On a scale of one to ten, with one being low and ten high, how would you rate your “fear quotient” on the following?
• Fear of speaking in public.
• Fear of snakes and other creepy critters.
• Fear of heights.
• Fear of the future.
How about I go first: Fear of public speaking I am maybe a 2, as I do it a lot and am mostly exhilarated by it. Snakes? Probably a 7 or 8, although I used to be a 10, but having had frequent encounters with snakes on the ranch we used to own I’m not quite as rattled (no pun intended) as I once was. As for heights I would rate myself a 2. I actually enjoy being up high where I can get a panoramic view of the world. . . . But fear of the future is more of a moving target; for every day seems to be a struggle to reduce my fear which is often times 10 down to 1, and I don’t always succeed. What about you?
So, here’s another question. Think back twenty, thirty, forty years ago, however far back you can according to your age. What fears of the future did you have then about something that might occur between that time and the age you are now? And realizing we all suffer tragedies, disappointments and heartaches in our lives, yet consider just how many of those things you feared back then actually occurred. Did it help to worry? The point is: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life . . . Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6:25,27)
I still have moments throughout every day when my fear of the future rates a 10, and the only way I have found to reduce that is by remembering these comforting words of the Psalmist, “for thou art with me . . .”