I remember a few weeks ago my neighbor moved out and renters
moved in. I remember peeking out through my bedroom window sizing up the new
neighbors, thinking, “He looks a bit shady, I think it’s time to move.” Fear
began to have its way and I actually began to look on the internet for more ‘suitable’
places to live. After the second or
third day of peering through the curtains, a thought came to me, “Who ARE you?” I was ashamed and embarrassed that I had
passed judgment on someone solely based upon their appearance. Since then, have met my new neighbors and have begun to
build a relationship with them. God’s whispered to me, “refuse to live a life
of fear.
Two weeks ago, I slammed my baby-toe into our ottoman, as I
am sure many of us have, and truly believed it was broken. Up until yesterday
morning, I held onto that thought. Another thought came to me yesterday, “you
have to try to walk on it.” So I did. It
hurt, but not enough to stop me. Then
another thought came to me, “try to run on it.” You see, I am a runner, and one
injury after another has stopped me from doing just that. So, I tried to run on
it, not too bad, not any worse anyway. (that’s my test…if it doesn’t hurt
WORSE, it’s probably okay). So I went
home, put on my running clothes, and ran, for 22 minutes. It didn’t hurt any
worse, and by that time, I had gained a little confidence! It made all of the difference in my
attitude. I came home, feeling
excellent, and even painted my toes. If you are a girl, you know that that
means you are feeling pretty darn good.
I was afraid to walk, none-the-less, run, but I did it anyways. God’s whispered to me, “refuse to live a life
of fear.
Yesterday I turned on the news to the horrific story of the
Boston Marathon attack. Everything natural in me said to be afraid, to not go to
social events, to not run the Chicago Marathon. Everything that is God’s in me
says to not be afraid, to not live in fear. Fear can be a cancer, invading
every space in our lives. God’s
whispered to me, “refuse to live a life of fear.
Today, I woke up to a great-feeling toe. The running must
have released it, because I was able to walk for a half an hour pain-free.
Perhaps it was jammed and I was afraid it was broken? I don’t know, I just know
that I faced my fear and did it anyways.
I have always wondered if I could ever buckle down and qualify for the
Boston Marathon. I don’t know about all
that, but I will never know if I run afraid. I do know this, now I want it more
than ever. God’s whispers to me, “refuse
to live a life of fear.
Cheryl D. Wyatt
