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“When Jesus overheard what was said, He told the synagogue leader, “Don’t be afraid.  Only believe.” Mark 5:36 CSB

The verse above comes from a time when Jesus was talking to a large crowd.  A guy named Jarius, who was a synagogue leader, came to him and begged Him to heal his sick daughter.  As Jesus goes with him to help, a woman who has been bleeding for 12 years touches His robe and is healed because of her faith in Jesus.  Think what it would be like to have Aunt Flo (a woman’s monthly menstruation) visit for 12 solid years. I know I would be desperate for healing from that agony.  As Jesus stops to address her, telling her “your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be healed” (Mark 5: 34 CSB), people came from Jarius’s house. His daughter had died and they had come to tell him.  Jesus overhears the conversation, that is when He tells Jarius, “Don’t be afraid. Only believe.” He does raise the daughter back to life and Jarius faith grows even stronger.  The entire story can be found in Mark 5:21-43.

Jarius and the bleeding woman were both filled with fear for two very different reasons.  But they had faith in the love of Jesus. Both of them trusted Him to fix their problems, both of them trusted Him to help them overcome their fears.  There is a song I love to listen too, especially when I am facing a fear. “Stand in His Love,” by Bethel Music helps me remember Jesus’ love is stronger than any of my fears:

When darkness tries to roll over my bones

When sorrow comes to steal the joy I own

When brokenness and pain is all I know

Oh, I won’t be shaken, no, I won’t be shaken

My fear doesn’t stand a chance

When I stand in Your love (Chorus)

Shame no longer has a place to hide

I am not a captive to the lies

I’m not afraid to leave my past behind

Oh, I won’t be shaken, no, I won’t be shaken!

My fear doesn’t stand a chance

When I stand in Your love (Chorus)

Jarius and the bleeding woman could relate to these lyrics.  Jarius was filled with sorrow as he faced his daughters death.  The poor woman bleeding was filled with shame, brokenness and pain.  But they knew Whose love to stand in and they were saved from their agony.  We can do the same today. Whatever fear you’re facing, stand in Jesus love, there your fear doesn’t stand a chance.  If you would like to listen to the song, you can do that here.  I’ve been known at times, when I’m gripped with fear to listen to this over and over again until I find the peace only Jesus can give.  You can do the same today, knowing Jesus’ love can overcome any fear!

“For I am the Lord your God, who holds your right hand, who says to you, “Do not fear, I will help you.”  Isaiah 41:13 CSB

God is holding our hand and telling us to not be afraid, He’s going to help.  Too often though, we underestimate Him. As I write this, I’m sitting at the top of a mountain, literally.  I’m 26,265 ft up in the air, equivalent to a half mile. When I look around, all I see is mountaintops. The air is clear, the fog has lifted and I can hear the sounds of traffic from the valley below.  Our scripture for this year is Matthew 17:20: “He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (NIV).  What God is saying in this verse is that if I have enough faith, I could make the mountains move around me. That seems impossible, but in reality, it’s all about perspective.

Solomon, the wisest man to ever live,  tells us in Proverbs we are to “stay on the safe path” (Proverbs 4:26 NLT).  The safe path is the one God leads you on, wherever it may be. The path isn’t boring, it’s the exact opposite, it is filled with mountains to climb and valleys to endure.  As Mark Batterson loves to say, “Playing it safe is risky.” Because I’m following the path the Lord is leading me on, I’m sitting on a mountaintop. Yesterday, as we climbed this mountain, my husband was so anxious he snapped at me, completely unlike him.  His actions indicated to me how nervous he was. I prayed silently as we climbed the mountain, when the truck seemed to struggle, I prayed a little harder. I thought, Lord, this is a small mountain, if we can’t do this, how are we going to do the rest of the trip?  But God reminded me, He’s the maker of the mountains, He’s the leader of our path. Where God guides, He provides. He’ll get us where He wants us to go, He’ll move the mountains or carry us up them, either way, we’ll get there. I had to be reminded to keep my eyes on Him and let Him lead the way.

The reason we don’t think God can move mountains is because we focus on the wrong thing. We have the wrong perspective. Instead of focusing on how big our God is, we focus on how big the mountain is we’re trying to climb.  We forget that God can move the mountains, climb the mountains, do whatever He wants with the mountains, because He created them. If He wants to move them, He will. More often though, He wants us to climb the mountain. He wants us to face our fears.  He wants us to get to the top so we can overcome our fears and find the freedom He desires us to have. But we can’t do it if we take our eyes off of Him, and forget He’s holding our hand. He’ll drag you to the top if He has to, but He’ll get you there.  He doesn’t give up and neither should we.

“I sought the Lord, and He answered me and rescued me from all my fears.” Psalm 34:4 CSB

It is not a coincidence that as I begin to write about fear for the month of October I am facing one of my greatest ones.  Fear of the unknown. Since I have been writing these devotions, I’ve learned quickly whatever the topic is, I’m writing about, God’s got something to teach me.  None of us ever arrive, we always have something new to learn. Yesterday I experienced fear so great, it paralyzed me. Ron and I embarked on a three week road trip in our R.V. for my 50th birthday.   We’ve been planning this trip for over 2 years, ever since Ron turned 50. I honestly never thought the day would come when we would actually do it. Yet yesterday, despite all the odds, at 2:27 p.m. we pulled out of our neighborhood and hit the open road. And I was paralyzed with fear.

As we started driving, I started thinking about all of the things that could go wrong.  From car accidents to roadside robbery, it all ran through my mind. The thought of something happening to someone I love while we’re gone crippled me.  I was overcome with fear in a way I can’t describe, it was petrifying. Thankfully, I’ve been listening to a series by Craig Groeschel, “Anxious for Nothing,” and one of the points he preached on was, “If it’s worth worrying about, it’s worth praying about.”  So I started praying. Every worry, every graphic image that passed through my mind, I started praying. I laid my heart out before the Lord and told Him I was scared. Many times I told Him I was scared, I asked Him to please help me. When it was something specific that was scaring me I lifted it specifically up to the Lord.  I prayed for hours, I prayed through the night. And I woke up this morning at peace. I pray it is a peace that will stay with me for the rest of this trip, but I don’t know if that will be true. But for now I have peace.

Fears are irrational.  Part of the fear I’m dealing with is the result of a car accident I had five years ago.  I have PTSD from the accident. I drove over 50,000 miles a year for 16 years when I worked for Nautica.  In that entire time, I only had one bad car accident, and it created a fear in me of driving that I’m still dealing with today.  Six months later I left that job, one accident in all of those years affected me so deeply I quit. I’ve learned from my therapist, the best way to overcome my PTSD is Exposure Therapy, exposing myself to driving.  I’m hoping and praying by the end of this trip, will have overcome my fear. Time will tell. Facing fears are hard, for all of us. They can cripple us, but when we face them with God, we will overcome. I could have let my fear keep me home, but I trusted God and we’re on the road.  I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, I don’t know what fear I will face, but I do know, I’m not alone. God is with me wherever I go, whatever I do. You can know the same, without a doubt. Just call on Him and He will answer. He will rescue you from all your fears.

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love and sound judgement.” 2 Timothy 1:7 CSB

Fear, in its original form in this verse means “faithless, afraid, coward.”  God didn’t make cowards, He made warriors. The spirit He gave us in not faithless, but faithful.  He didn’t make us afraid, He made us courageous. This verse reinforces it for us, be not afraid, God is with us.  The devil is the one who tries to make us fearful, if we let him, we will be. This month, we’re focusing on our fears.  We’re going to look at scripture that speaks directly to them, we’re going to tell our fears who is really in charge, it’s not them.  God is bigger than any fear we have. When we face our fears with God by our side, we will experience a freedom like we’ve never experienced before.  We will begin to live our lives to the fullest, just as God intended us to do. When we fill ourselves with His Spirit, there is no room for fear.

The definition of darkness is the absence of light.  Fear lives in darkness, the crevices of our soul that have not had light shed on them.  Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12 NIV). If we’re to shed light on our fears, we’ve got to let Jesus into those dark crevices where they are hiding.  In an article from Brain Tracy, fears are learned, therefore they can be unlearned.  But in order to unlearn fear, it takes self discipline, it takes intentionality, it takes getting back on the horse.  I have a massive fear of heights. I have no idea where this came from, I think from my days as a flight attendant. I didn’t realize I had a fear of heights until my mother and I climbed the steps of the lighthouse in Corolla one summer vacation.  As soon as I came out of the door at the top of the steps I was paralyzed with fear. Yes, my mother had to hold my hand as I clung to the wall and help me get back to the stairs. I still remember the moment so vividly, my mother thought I was nuts.  I believe she told me I was being ridiculous, but I can’t remember her exact words. I do know, I have yet to overcome my fear of heights.  

I will never overcome my fear of heights if I don’t expose myself to heights over and over again. Until I learn, just as my mother said, I’m being ridiculous, I will live in fear.  My fear of heights keeps me from seeing beautiful sights from a vantage point that can only be found when one climbs to the top. I don’t know that I will overcome that fear this month, but I’m willing to try.  Will you join me as we expose the darkness of our fears to the light of Jesus? In Him we will find freedom from our fears, in Him we will find power, we will find love, we will find sound judgement.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change the shifting shadows.”  James 1:17 CSB

God is the originator of “Pay it Forward.”  Lots of people throughout history have put it into practice,  Benjamin Franklin, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Ray Bradbury. Some people believe the concept developed by the Greek playwright Menander in 300 B.C., but we all know the truth.  God started it when He sent his Son to die on the cross for us, the first act of kindness that we are to pay forward in our daily lives. Jesus then showed us the way with His love and grace in everyday situations.  Just as He turned water into wine (John 2-11 NIV) or healed the guards son (John 4:43-53 NIV) or showed the rich young ruler the error of his ways (Mark 10:17-27 NIV), we are called to follow in His footsteps. Jesus lived His life paying it forward, His ultimate sacrifice witnessed on the cross.  How can we but do the same?

The golden rule is our answer: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12 NIV).  What good would Jesus have us pay forward? He would want us to love others, whether Christ followers or not, we are called to love (Mark 12:31 NIV).  We’ve talked about a lot of ways to love this month, and there are many more ways I haven’t mentioned. Loving others is a lifelong process, that can be exhausting at times, overwhelming, even impossible, but with God all things are possible (Romans 8:28 NIV).  Another way we can pay it forward is by forgiving others who have wronged us (Colossians 3:13 NIV). God first forgave us, through His loving grace, we can forgive others. Forgiveness can be hard, especially in circumstances where the offender doesn’t feel like they have done anything wrong, but it is necessary for us to be able to move forward.  As the old adage goes, when we don’t forgive someone who has hurt us, it’s like drinking rat poison and expecting the other person to suffer. The one who is truly suffering is us. Pay it forward by forgiving. Lastly, we pay it forward when we offer hope to someone who needs it. Our hope is Jesus, the easiest way to share hope with someone else is by sharing Jesus (1 Peter 3:15 NIV).   There are multitudes of people who feel like they have no hope in this broken world we live in today. When we share the hope of Jesus, we’re bringing light into the darkness, we’re bringing wholeness to the broken, we’re paying forward what has already been done for us.

As we close out this month of scattering kindness in our world, it doesn’t mean we have to stop.  Statistically, to form a new habit takes 21 days, we’ve had 30. Let’s pray the habit of kindness will stick with us as we move forward in our lives.  Let’s make scattering kindness a way of life, not just a 30 day challenge.

“Share with God’s people who are in need.  Practice hospitality.” Romans 12:13 NIV

Hospitality, defined by Webster’s dictionary of 1828 is the act or practice of receiving and entertaining strangers or guests without reward, or with kind and generous liberality. Sharing food with people is an easy way to be hospitable.  Who doesn’t love donuts? Not only does it share God’s love, but it sets an example for others to do the same. What hospitality really boils down to is thinking about the other person, and that is what God wants us to do.  You may not want to take donuts, maybe fresh fruit would be a healthier choice, but whatever it is you decide to do for your co-workers, you’re letting them know you’re thinking of them.  

Being hospitable builds relationships, it shows people you’re open and approachable.  When people feel comfortable talking to you, you will gain new perspectives into their lives and find other ways to serve them.  Matthew tells us, Jesus came to serve, not to be served (Matthew 20:28 NIV). When we actively find ways to serve others, we are imitating Jesus.  One inspirational story I found told of a man who noticed a co-worker who was struggling. He noticed he was forgetting things and seemed confused.  He decided to get involved. When he did, he found this gentleman was in early stages alzheimer’s and being taken advantage of financially by his children.  The coworker took him to the hospital to get assessed, helped him find a caretaker to monitor his condition, and helped him get his finances in order with a government worker that would ensure his bills got paid and his children could no longer take advantage of him.  Even more interesting, this man set an example for his son who wrote the article you can read here.  All because he noticed a coworker who was struggling.

There is a phrase which is commonly heard, “bloom where you are planted.”  Often, we don’t think of our jobs as an area where we are planted, but in reality we spend more time at work than we do at home.  Finding ways to serve our coworkers, whether by taking donuts or buying them lunch is one way to bloom where you are planted. Being hospitable at work can open doors to share God’s love in ways you can’t even imagine.  Just as noticing a coworkers forgetfulness helped save a man from elder abuse, God only knows how He may use you right where you are. Take a look around you today at work, who needs help? What is one thing you could do today to bless the people you work with?  Ask God for “eyes to see and ears to hear” (Matthew 13:16 NIV) the needs of the people you work with then start with a donut. Be hospitable, be open and approachable, God will do the rest.

“Be strong and courageous, and do the work.  Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God is with you.  He won’t leave you or abandon you until all the work for the service of the Lord’s house is finished.”  1 Chronicles 28:20 CSB

David is speaking to Solomon in this verse, commissioning him to build the Temple.   God didn’t want David to build it because of his history at war so Solomon got the job.  The Temple took seven years to complete, needless to say, he needed David’s encouragement to not give up.  And so do we. We don’t build the Temple for Ron’s father, but every year we rake his leaves. His Dad has a huge pecan tree in his backyard, leaves fill it completely when they start to fall.  Raking leaves is not one of my favorite things to do. The leaves seem to multiply the more we rake them, it always seems to be an endless job. But it only takes hours, not years, and it’s a way we can serve Ron’s dad.

Physical labor, no matter what it is can be tiring.  When the sun is beating down on you, and there seems to be no end in sight, it is easy to get discouraged and want to give up. But there are multiple benefits to a good day’s work. First off, hard work builds character by developing self reliance and confidence in your ability to get the job done.  The exercise you receive from doing a job is better than an hour in the gym, it helps you keep the weight off. The sense of satisfaction when you look at the completed product is immediate. You burn calories, build self esteem and gain perspective. There are so many things in life we can’t control, but when we finish a physical job, whether raking leaves or mowing the lawn, it gives us a sense of accomplishment no one can take from us.  And doing physical labor is always a good time to pray.

When I’m raking my father-in-law’s leaves it reminds me to thank God for his presence in my life.  I’m grateful for the son he raised who is an amazing husband to me. I’m reminded of Exodus 20:12, “Honor your father and mother, so that you may live long in the Land the Lord your God is giving you.”  I know when I’m serving Ron’s dad I’m doing God’s will, it says so right there in his word. And when it is all finished and the leaves are piled at the curb waiting to be picked up, I feel a sense of satisfaction like no other.  I feel God’s pleasure as well as that of my husband and his father. Whether you rake someone’s leaves, mow their lawn or weed a flower bed, know that it isn’t done in vain. God sees the hard work you are doing and is pleased. Use the opportunity to pray for whoever you are serving, thanking God for their presence in your life and how they have impacted you.  Knowing, God is pleased as you hear Him whisper, “Well done, my good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23 NIV).

“At the same time, pray also that God may open a door to us for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.” Colossians 4:3 CSB

Paul wrote this verse in a letter during the two years he was chained to a guard in Rome.  He had reports of the church in Colosse being infiltrated by false teachers, his purpose in writing it was to refute the claims they were making.  Even in prison, Paul never lost sight of his mission to share Jesus to the world. Chained to a guard, he found a way to open the door for God’s word by writing letters.  Thank God, none of us reading this are chained to a guard with no where to go. We do however, have to find ways to spread the love of God to others and open the door for conversations with people about God.  One way we can do that is by physically holding the door open for someone. Have you noticed, when you do this small act, it always evokes a conversation? Typically you get at least a thank you, but you never know where that conversation might lead.  Take Josh for example.

Josh is a highschool student who lost his dad.  He had pictures of him in his locker at school. For whatever reason, a group of kids thought it would be funny to rip them down and bully Josh.  As a result, Josh switched schools. But Josh decided he wasn’t going to let the same thing happen again. He wanted everyone to feel like they belonged, he didn’t want people feeling like he felt, so he decided to hold the door open for them.  Day after day, he would hold the door for fellow students, welcoming them to school. The students began to look forward to seeing Josh each day, talking to him, hugging him as he held the door open. This small act of kindness made the students feel like they belonged, they felt like they had a friend.  And they did, Josh was and is a friend to everyone. This one act of kindness led to him being voted prom king. As one student said, “Josh winning prom king felt like we had all won because he made us all feel accepted.” Josh’s kindness of holding the door has led to him becoming a motivational speaker for other students.  Kids come to him with their problems and share with him, because in him they feel they have a true friend. Take 6 minutes out of your day and watch this inspirational video.  Because Josh decided to make a difference, because he didn’t want anyone to feel left out, because he stood and held the door open for his classmates, over 6 million people have watched this video and been inspired.  

No act of love is too small or goes unnoticed.  Today, when you hold the door open for someone, think of Josh.  Think of how you are making that person feel loved and accepted with your smile as you greet them as they walk by.  Think of how you may be impacting their lives in a way you may never know. Think about how this one act of kindness could change the world, one door at a time.  

“And don’t complain as some of them did, and were killed by the destroyer.”  1 Corinthians 10:10 CSB

Complaining is a destroyer, both of relationships and health.  A study done by Stanford in 2016 showed complaining actually shrinks your hippocampus.  The hippocampus is the part of the brain that helps us problem solve. In a world full of problems, the last thing you want to do is shrink the part of the brain that solves problems, yet that is exactly what complaining does.  Complaining also releases Cortisol, which is the stress hormone. Too much stress can wear you down both mentally and physically. The Stanford study also found frequent complaining can lead to heart disease and diabetes. Not only does complaining affect us physically, but it also affects our relationships.  Who likes being around a complainer? I know I don’t. People that complain constantly exude negative energy, nothing about complaining is uplifting and encouraging. Instead of building people up, complaining tears people down and it destroys relationships. People won’t want to be around you if you’re constantly complaining.  How can we stop complaining? Will Bowen came up with a way.

In 2006 Will Bowen was the pastor of a small midwestern church.  He was doing a sermon series on prosperity. All of his congregation wanted to be more prosperous, yet they were constantly complaining about what they already had.  Why would you want more stuff to complain about? Will issued a challenge to his congregation. He challenged them to not complain for 21 days. He bought purple bracelets and handed them out to everyone.  The challenge was simple, put the bracelet on either wrist on day one. If you complain, no matter what day you’re on, you have to move it to the other wrist and start all over again at day one. He found it takes the average person 4-8 months to actually go 21 days without complaining.  Since 2006 Will’s movement has given out over 11 million bracelets, he’s written 3 books and has become a leading scholar on complaining. You can learn more about Will’s “Complaint Free World” movement here.  

My challenge is much easier than Will’s, just do one day.  Just for today, don’t complain about anything. If you want a reminder, put a rubber band on your wrist, every time you complain, snap it.  Or try to go 21 days without complaining as Will suggests, you can use a rubber band just as easily as a purple bracelet to remind you of your goal.  Whatever you choose, become more aware of the words you use. Ask yourself, are my words building up or tearing down? If they’re tearing down, re-frame them into a positive statement.  Instead of complaining that it’s raining, yet again, thank God for watering the flowers. If your husband has once again left the sink full of dirty dishes, instead of complaining, thank God you have a husband who provides for you.  Whatever the complaint is, look for the positive side of it, there is always one if we look hard enough to find it. But first we have to stop complaining.

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10 NIV

Sometimes, the most spiritual thing you can do for someone is wash their car.  I recently started listening to the book, “The Remarkable Ordinary: How to Stop, Look and Listen to Life” by Frederick Buechner.  The premise of the book is to listen to your life to find your gifts. In other words, what do you like to do that makes you glad? What do you enjoy doing?  I love to write. I love to write these devotionals, I love to write the papers I have to do for my classes. When I’m writing, I feel God’s pleasure, I feel glad.  For others it may be baking, or singing, or washing people’s cars. We have to listen to our lives to understand how God created us uniquely, each of us with different gifts.  But how do we listen to our lives.

Buechner uses this example to help us understand what he means.  Let’s say you live an hour away from a large city. You drive there often, passing through a smaller town on the way to the city.  You have driven this drive so many times, you don’t even think about it while you’re actually driving. When you drive through the smaller town, you don’t even notice it.  You don’t notice the people walking along the streets, you don’t notice the sales signs in the store or the flowers hanging from the lamp posts. You are on autopilot, just trying to reach your final destination.  By the time you reach the city, you don’t even remember the journey. Buechner says we have to start paying attention to the journey. We have to live in the moment, looking at what is around us instead of being so focused on the destination, we miss out on what is going on right in front of us.  Beuchner would argue, the journey is the destination. When you pay attention to the journey, you begin to understand the things that make you happy, which in turn, helps you understand your gift. 

When you start paying attention to the journey, living in the moment, you notice the people on the street, you notice the sales signs in the window and the flowers on the lampost.  When you notice the people on the street, you see the elderly lady struggling with her groceries. When you pull over to help her get them in her car, you begin to understand you like helping people, it makes you happy.  Because you’ve helped this lady, a desire to help other elderly people is born and you begin to visit nursing homes. You begin to find pleasure sitting and playing a game of checkers with someone who has a lifetime of stories to share with you.  All of a sudden, you have discovered a gift you never realized you had because you paid attention to the journey instead of the destination. God only knows what gifts you will discover you have when you start paying attention to the journey. You may find washing cars gives you pleasure, or maybe it’s babysitting for a friend.  You’ll never know until you take your eyes off of the destination and put them on the journey.