When Fear Tries to Boss You Around
Well now, puddin’, pull up a real comfy chair and settle in, ’cause we’re ‘a-fixin’ to talk about bloomin’ where God planted you even if it feels like He plopped you right in the middle of a briar patch. And remember: God’s grace is more than enough for whatever adventure today holds, even if that adventure looks like a squirrel ‘a-tryin’ to outrun a lawnmower.
Mark 5 introduces us to a fella who could’ve starred in every scary story your cousin ever told at a sleepover. This man lived in the tombs, yes, the tombs, ‘a-howlin’ day and night like a coyote with emotional issues. Folks tried chainin’ him up, but he snapped those chains like they were spaghetti noodles. Nobody could handle him. Not the townsfolk. Not the strong men. Not even that one uncle who swears he “ain’t scared of nothin’.”
Everybody was terrified of him, everybody except Jesus.
See, Jesus doesn’t get rattled. He doesn’t flinch. He doesn’t back up like a spooked deer. He looked past the wild hair, the howlin’, the busted chains, and saw a soul Satan was ‘a-tryin’ to destroy. Where the world saw a monster, Jesus saw a man who needed mercy.
Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us that God’s plans are good, hope‑filled, future‑shaped, and tailor‑made. Satan’s plans? Well, bless his ‘ole mean heart, he’s already a defeated critter. He’s like a rooster ‘a-struttin’ around the yard even though everybody knows the fox has already got his number. He’ll still try to stir up fear, though, because fear is one of his favorite tools.
But fear doesn’t come from God. Paul said so. David said so. And Jesus proved it by ‘a-walkin’ straight into that graveyard without so much as a shiver.
Whatever fear you’re ‘a-facin’: a diagnosis, a bill, a relationship, a job, or just life bein’ life, you don’t have to let it boss you around. You can look at it with the same clear-eyed, trustin’ confidence Jesus had ‘a-knowin’ God’s power is bigger than any mess the enemy stirs up (Psalm 56:3-4).
Father, thank You for plantin’ me right where You want me and walkin’ with me through every twist and turn. Help me trust You when fear tries to creep in. Remind me that You are my strength, my refuge, and my steady place. Teach me to rest in Your presence and bloom in Your timing. I pray this in Jesus’ precious name. Amen.
Now go on out there, Bright Eyes , and don’t let fear puff itself up like a rooster on a fence post actin’ like he owns the whole barnyard. Fear may crow loud, but Jesus already clipped its wings, plucked its tail feathers, and set it back on the ground where it belongs. Walk on today ‘a-knowin’ the Lord’s got you steadier than a goat on flat land and braver than a squirrel who finally figured out how to cross the road.
With joy,
Gwen
