July 28th, 2020: Understanding Our Fears

 

 Post - The Soul Factory
 
Let us take a look at some other kinds of fear. Fear is one of the prime responses in human life. It is caused or initiated by different things. It is out human responses to what we perceived as threats. It can be a biochemical reaction or emotional response. It is real either way.

Sometimes we have fear because we think about a specific event that might happen to us or our loved ones. Parents deal with this type of fear often. We ask questions like: "What if our kids cannot make friends at school?", "What if our kids date a wrong person?"...Even though it is not a real event that happens, the response is.

Sometimes we are afraid if something happened in the past. Our memories play a crucial role in this. We are fearful because we have not been able to make sense of what happened. We have to live with our self-doubts. It takes away our ability to enjoy the present moment, and it kills joy.

Many people I talked to during this pandemic have a deep fear of the unknown future. Somehow the fundamental of personal security is questioned. Some want to pray but don't know how. Some want to do something for others so that they can feel better. Yet, everyone has to face their limitations.

Maybe fear is part of the broken world. That world is now full of uncertainties, conflicts, and confusion. Perhaps it is not a bad idea to give God a fair hearing at this time. I don't know about you, but I find myself tuning out when I turn on the TV. I read a statement somewhere recently when a person expressed his sentiment towards the news about all of the protests: "I wish that everyone just shut the f___ up." It is a rude comment. However, it is not an uncommon response that I have come across as I talk to people. It is time to listen and to ponder about why we are so afraid instead of screaming our head off and creating destruction. We cannot legalize the condition of our human heart. It is a transformation that is spiritually inspired. Maybe we are also afraid of ourselves, so blaming others for all of our problems is a good distraction.

James 3: 17
"But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere."

Popular posts from this blog

Aug 31st, 2024: Confession

Image
Dealing with pain sometimes affects our ability and flexibility. A physiotherapist friend gave me a set of home exercises to help with that. They are simple yet intense at the same time. Dealing with our human brokenness sometimes affects our ability to see and hear God. Our commitment to spiritual disciplines must be at the core of our relationship with God. One of the disciplines I have been trying to embrace more fully is confession. It’s not just about recognizing where we have gone wrong; it’s about how we have chosen to live our lives independently from God. It’s about whether we truly want God to be part of our lives. The absence of meaningful confession will damage our freedom to experience intimacy with God. "Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy." - Proverbs 28:13
Read more

Sept 4th, 2024: Praying in Images

Image
It has been a rough few days. Living in immense pain does not allow us much energy to think about anything. I ended up praying in images, and not many words came out of my mouth. Most of the images were of people I know. God knew that I was praying for them as their faces came to my mind. I did not need to mention the circumstances or situations of their lives—He knows. My heart was at peace as I ended my days with these images. He will take care of my body, and I know this because I was able to get some sleep. Tomorrow is in His hands.
Read more

Oct 1st, 2022: Be With Those Who Suffer

Image
  Listening to a young woman who shared her experience of being raped repeatedly by a family member for over four years as a teenager made my heart ache. The man who did that was a leader of a church. He was imprisoned for seven months and released. He was her stepfather. Her mother chose to pick him over her after his release. Her life has changed forever. She had to go to a foster home. Her foster parents helped her with her restoration and her faith in God. Her supervisor at work asked me to see her because someone at work was inappropriate toward her. That triggered many emotions within her. I did not expect the story I heard from her. The meeting took longer than I thought, and it was toward the end of the day. She kept talking about her anger and the pain she felt when men treated her like a subject. I knew that the best I could do was to listen. She told me she had not been able to tell anyone as much as with me. God reminded me of the true calling of being a pas...
Read more