Fear by Joyce Schafer

What are my fears?

Snakes—as a young girl I remember the chickens making lots of noise and going out to check on them. I also remember stepping on a snake (barefoot.)

Rats—as a young farm wife, I remember a feed room that every time I opened the door a rat would run across the floor. It got to be a routine. Open the door, watch the rat run across the floor, fill feed buckets, and pray that the rat had no friends.

Deer—as an older farm partner (notice how the name changed as my abilities grew,) I remember walking down a field road to get a grain truck only to have deer run out of the corn field. Let me tell you! Deer are really, really big and really, really fast when they are right in front of you.

Skunks—I have never personally encountered these but I have smelled dogs that have. I have no desire to smell like that ever in my lifetime.

These are some of my visible fears but my worse fears are those you cannot see:

Cancer—I have had cancer and have watched my sister and my mother die of cancer. I really fear going through this again or going through this with a loved one.

COPD and Asthma—Not being able to breathe is a big fear. Not being able to do what I want to do is also a big fear.

Accidents—I know the fear of a car going in circles on an icy road and another car backing into my car on a dry road (double fear since a small grandson was in the back seat.)

So how do I deal with these fears when my husband is running late, when the kids are driving on bad roads, the grandkids are sick or I’m waiting on biopsy results?A friend gave me this verse. Isaiah 41:13 “For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear; I will help you.”

I wish I could say I don’t worry and I don’t fear but I would be lying. I can say I do pray and I do believe that God will take care of my loved ones and me.