Frozen With Fear vs Moving Forward and Thriving
Sometimes, being frozen is easier than moving forward in our lives. Fear is a debilitating emotion that, when not confronted, leaving the elephant in the room, so to speak, stops growth, healing, love, compassion, and hope from being present and empowering us to be all that God created us to be and fulfill the purpose He had for each of us that we would bring glory & honor to the Father.
I recently moved, not realizing that I was living out the premise of a book I am writing; “Thriving; Life Beyond Grief / A Life Filled With Passion, Purpose, and Adventure.”
2023 was a year of great challenge for me in a host of different areas. Whether health issues, business, financial stress, family struggles, or selling my home and moving, all had a tug on my emotions and choices to be made: be frozen in fear or move forward and thrive. The unknown can be daunting or empowering. With the faith of a mustard seed in Jesus, him leading through the challenges enabled me to move forward and thrive during the challenge and beyond.
We were made in His image. He knew us before we were born. He intentionally knit us together in our mother’s womb with our gifts, talents, personalities, strengths, and weaknesses,
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. ”
We are not alone. When we submit our will and our lives to Him, we have a God who is intimately involved in our lives.
“But now, this is what the Lord says—
he who created you, Jacob,
he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;”
Peter encourages us to give all of our fears, stress, and anxiety to Jesus.
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. ”
Jesus has shown us the way to love as He loved. Live as He lived.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
The Holy Spirit empowers us to follow Jesus. The Holy Spirit will be our advocate, and teacher, reminding us of all the things Jesus taught.
“In life on earth, we will have struggles, heartache, pain, and sorrow. The Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts, giving us wisdom, strength, grace, and mercy so we can be a reflection of our heavenly Father. Courage isn’t the absence of fear but the willingness to do what is right in the face of fear.”
The Apostle Paul reminds us that we do not fight against flesh and blood; He has given us our weapons of warfare, knowing that there is an enemy of our hearts and souls.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”
Jesus tells us how to thrive giving us the two most important commands:
“Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
True love casts out fear and allows us to thrive. When we love the Lord your God with all our heart, soul, and mind our focus is on Him. We are then able to thrive because we trust the one who knows us intimately.
Loving God and loving one another fuels our ability to move forward through our challenges and thrive.