Fear, International Travel, God's Word, and #bebrave (plus a few pictures from Uganda)

(somewhere over the Swiss Alps - breath-taking!)

Read this, heard this, discovered this...........somewhere along the way on this journey of #bebrave:

"The first step to over-coming your fears is to locate them."

Understandable, right?

We can't begin to go to God's Word to find His Manna for today if we don't know the specifics (if you didn't read last week's blog, please do...).

Truth will mean nothing, God's words of comfort won't go deep, if we are less than honest.

We can't pray specifically, asking Him to help us be over-comers, if we don't know what we want...

Remember Blind Bartemaus?

The question Jesus asked him is still the question He is asking us:

Behind that question is a statement Jesus is making: Consider this carefully!

Behind that question is another question: Do you really want help?

So, I'm pondering this thought.

What are the specifics surrounding my fears, worries, anxieties....and those things that leave me cycling in discouragement (a sense of hope-less)...when they appear on the horizon of my world?

Travel internationally and you'll discover plenty.

I do. I did on this last trip.

(overlooking Kampala, Uganda and Lake Victoria)

My stomach starts getting tied in knots as soon as I pull out the suitcases.

What if I don't pack the right things?

What if I forget something I need - important things like medicines for some unknown sickness, battery charger, the right clothes, gifts, notes for messages (for Heaven's Sake! - Literally!)...

Did I remember my Passport?  Don't laugh. I did once, and had to cancel a trip because the passport was in Colorado and I was in Arizona.

What if I take the wrong thing and they won't let me in the country? Again, don't laugh, some countries won't let you inside the gates if you've packed anything that slightly resembles camouflage (or Army green)...

Did I remember to fill out all the right paperwork for a Visa?

What if I miss a flight, because of a delay?

I think you get the idea.

(just a few of the homes on our way to church the first Sunday morning)

One of my greatest fears is FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN...

Ed Welch says this:

"Listen to your fears. Listen closely. There is usually a theme of control about them."

What a jerk!

But, the jerk is, oh! so! right!

Life is just plain risky.

And, the truth of the matter is that no matter how many packing lists I make; no matter how much time I give myself between connecting flights when I make the reservations; no matter how many precautions I take to plan ahead; I can't control life.

More precisely, I am not God.

Even though my fears tell me so.

(the predominantly Muslim neighborhood where one of the churches where we spoke is located)

Levi Lusko has written, "Fear often says, 'God I don't trust YOU! I think I can do better..."

He adds, "As with most fear, my false allegiances are identified."

Enter Max Lucado to say a word or two:  It's true. Control freaks are the most fearful.

This last trip to Uganda - on the outbound - everything that could go wrong, essentially did.

It was an exercise in understanding Murphy's Law.

It was an exercise in giving up control.

("God is Our Strength" Preschool, teaching Secular & Islamic theology)

Interestingly enough, the morning we left, the Lord spoke in my quiet time. 

That morning, I read two different passages of Scripture on my list of #bebrave Bible Verses.

The first set of Scriptures is found in Phillipians 4:4-6.

It was the word "gentleness" that stopped me that morning as I sat in the Durango airport, before we had even boarded our first flight.

What does gentleness have to do with anything in the process of working through anxiety?

Well, everything, it turns out.

Gentleness:  the ability to be tolerant in the slightest to biggest deviations of life.

Why? The Lord is NEAR...

There it is again: Being aware of God's Presence is so important in the midst of fear and worry.

I didn't know it then, but the Lord was speaking "tolerance" to my soul.

So, then I turned to Tim Keller (God's Wisdom for Navigating Life).  Keller gave me three characteristics of wisdom. A wise follower of the Lord exhibits each of these:

Resilience

Poise

Resourcefulness

Little did I know I would need to whisper these words to my ever-growing-anxious-heart over the course of the next 55 hours (an unpleasant new record set in overseas travel)!

But preach 'em, I did...and put into practice, yep, did that, as well!

AND, the peace of God which passes all understanding guarded my heart!

He will yours, too.

But, until you know where your fears lie, God's words of comfort will not reach down into the depths of your soul and set up a guard station against fear and anxiety.

May your fears drive you to the WORD, so it can do it's mighty WORK!