A Meteor Shower of What-Ifs!

A Meteor Shower of What-Ifs!
By Chaplain Doug Samples

After twelve months of talking about our fears,   I was ready to move on to something more positive.

       But as I listen to us,

           it seems like we are continuing to live

              under a fog (or smog) of anxiety.

    So, I think we need to explore how our fears

                     are connected  to our anxieties

We concluded last month by suggesting

     that one of the best ways 

          to break the power of fear in our lives

              is by naming our fears.

But what is the difference between anxiety and fear?

   The truth is that anxiety can cause fear

       and fear can cause anxiety.

 But even though they are closely related, 

     if we can stop and think about these two emotions,

        we might be able to determine 

            which of them we are dealing with.

Fear is an intense response to an immediate danger

     while anxiety is more of an emotion regarding things 

        that might happen in the future.

For instance, If you are walking down a dark street 

    and someone points a gun in your face and says, 

        “This is a robbery”… 

             that’s a real fear!!!

But if you are walking down the street

    on a beautiful night 

       with nothing but a family

          and their dog in front of you 

              but you are paralyzed 

                 by the possibility of a robbery…

                     that’s anxiety.

This comparison might be helpful:

In his 2017 book Anxious For Nothing,

    Max Lucado suggests that

        “Anxiety is like a meteor shower of what-ifs!”

We are going to use Max’s book

    to guide our conversations here 

        over the next few months. 

           I would encourage you to order his book.  

               I think it could be helpful.