Of course I’m startled #1 I am afraid of big dogs and #2 loose dogs in the country cannot be easily ran from…. for a moment I stop in my tracks while my dog keeps moving right along, tail wagging happily.
As I came over the hill there they were. Three, count them three Rottweilers All very large. And all barking incessantly that we were walking by. They each offered their version of a deep, gruff warning bark. As I looked in the direction of all the noise, I came to realize that not one of them were tied up and I seriously started to panic.
Sasha is wiser than me in this way. She pays no attention. Not a single “woof!” in response. Not a missed step. Not a concerned look. She doesn’t engage in unnecessary vocal back-and-forths. She doesn’t run over to say “hi, please don’t eat my human”. She doesn’t wag her tail to convince them to change their minds and like her. She just carries on. I, on the other hand, pay a inordinate amount of attention to the barking. And try to quickly figure out how to get away as fast as possible without alerting them to the enormous fear that is building within me.
There are so many things to fear aren’t there? Afraid of the headlines and the diagnosis and the phone call or the email. Of big dogs, or getting lost, the small and creepy crawly scary things or the thousand thousand other terrifying things too.
Fear is one of my biggest problems. I often times let fear rule my life more than putting my faith in God.
Rather than considering that God knows what He’s doing and trusting Him, we immediately roll out a long list of what-ifs.
Tell me I am not the only one!
There are days when fear creeps in and it’s all I can think about. I think I can’t do this because I’m too small, too unworthy, too dumb. I think I can’t get through this because it’s too hard, too big, too impossible. But I don’t want to live my life afraid.
I’m in a season of re~evaluating where and how I spend my energy. I find myself often asking this simple, hard question about each choice I make: Is this really worth it? And when it comes to responding to the barking that comes from others the answer is clearly this: No, it’s not.
If you hear barking ask yourself this:
Can this actually hurt me or is this simply triggering my fear?
What will it cost me to engage in this?
What do I risk missing out on if I get sidetracked by this right now?
Fear. I know it too well.
Keep calm and trust God… because in the end, nothing else really matters.
“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise ~ in God I trust and am not afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?”
Psalm 56:3-4 {New International Version {NIV}}
Take Care
3 comments:
The last time I walked our dogs in town(which would have been a year ago now) I was greeted by three different dogs. Two who knew how far they could go because of those silly invisible fences, but still felt the need to charge thus making it difficult to walk. One that was left loose on his front porch and decided that he too was looking for a fight. That one was a real fun time.
Now I go out to the country to walk my dogs because I'm less likely to meet anyone there, although it has happened, but not a big deal.
My question is am I running from my fear by avoiding a nasty walk in town or did I get smart by changing my attitude towards something I could not fix?
So how did it end with the dogs?
Sometimes we fear things that are unnecessary I know I can get worked up about things before they even happen...
Thanks for the reminder to trust God in ALL things
Bliss
I would have been afraid too! Good thing you had your dog with you! I have my dog stories and I think people who let their dogs go free have no idea how scary their dogs can be.
But your overall point is fear and well taken... fear is good when it makes us turn to God and see what He will do.
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