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Thursday, July 14, 2011

From His Lap

This post is dedicated to a dear friend, Karen, who, like me has battled fear.  She is overcoming and winning the battle, one day at a time!  I'm so proud of her and I pray for her!


Are you ever overtaken by fear?  I have a sleeping disorder and there have been times when I worried about something so much that I literally didn't sleep for days.  I could hone in on and dwell on problems and get myself so worked up that I couldn't even obtain enough peace to fall asleep.  So I would just lay there and grind my teeth until little pieces of them broke off in my mouth.  As a mom, for me, fear and anxiety over my children has probably been the hardest obstacle to overcome.


I have six children and I never seemed to have those types of fears when they were young, but as they grew into their teens and started making their own decisions, there were times that I actually became paralyzed with fear; fear that they were hanging out with the wrong people, fear that they would drink and drive, fear that they would be involved in an accident...probably all normal fears.  But I let them overtake and control me.


There have been a couple of times in my adult like when our finances were so meager that my fear would make me unable to talk or think sensibly about a solution.  What drives us to have fear like that?  Is it pride that we won't look so successful as parents, as breadwinners, as whatever?  Is it a lack of ability to lay our cares at the foot of the cross and leave them there?  Is it a trust issue?  I don't know the answer but I do know that the devil knows if he can get us in that kind of fear, we are worthless to do any good or constructive thing to help ourselves and others.


Fear is not even a reasonable emotion...because it solves nothing.  It has no good purpose and it leaves us in worse condition than if we did not have it.  I'm not speaking about concern or conscientiously concentrating on a problem.  I'm talking about a fear that grips you in the gut and keeps you from moving out and away from a problem.  Fear holds us back and squelches hope and faith.  It does not lead to a solution for the thing we fear.  


Sitting on my Dad's lap
For me, the opposite of fear is hope and peace.  Hope and Peace.  Without these two things, I could not live.  If you read my blog often, you are aware that I always sign off "From His Lap, Erin".  There is a specific reason for that.  The only way that I have ever found to dig myself out of a big muddy pit of fear is to climb up in His lap.  I literally picture myself coming to Him with my arms outstretched like a child, climbing to His lap, and putting my head on His shoulder.  Sometimes I can almost feel His hand on my hair.  Did you ever notice a toddler reaching up for you?  It's a total act of surrender on their part.  They are wanting to be held, comforted and safe.  We would never turn away a child that is asking for that.  Just as our Heavenly Father would never turn us away.


Dear heart, if you ever feel like you are in the grips of fear and you can't find peace, take a moment to put yourself in the arms of the One who has the answers; the One who holds the hope and peace that you are so desperately in need of.  Let Him minister to you there.  Let Him calm your jangled nerves and quiet your worries.  The Scripture says that His peace passes all understanding.  That means we can have peace even when we don't know the answers or don't know what to do.  We can have that blessed peace and hope that God has a dream and a future for us!


From His Lap,

23 comments:

  1. That was such a heart felt post. Thanks for sharing it, I needed that today. Erin

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  2. Thank you! I hope it blessed you.
    ~Erin

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  3. wow that was such a well written post form the heart. i also have struggled with fear and anxiety. glad to have found your blog!

    http://georgiascookiejar.blogspot.com/2011/07/give-back-thursdays-2.html

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  4. Thank you, Georgia! I will ck out your blog!
    Blessings,
    ~Erin

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  5. I can so relate to this and to the fact that as your kids get older, the worry turns into fear. I have laid awake many a night grinding my teeth. Sometimes we just need to claim that peace that passes all understanding.

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  6. Fear is an ugly emotion sometimes, but it is combatted nicely by faith and love and His special guidance.

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  7. Oh Shanda, I hate those late night worries! I've gotten much better about it now. There's nothing like that peace!
    ~Erin

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  8. Amberr, Thank God for faith and love, huh!! It's what gets us through!
    Thanks for stopping by!
    ~Erin

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  9. What an amazing reminder to crawl into our Father's lap! I love that! When God takes something away, He always replaces it with something good. I like how you showed that with hope and peace instead of fear and anxiety. What a refreshing read! Thank you for linking up at Give Back Thursday.

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  10. I have to add in here, I love your family's pictures! :)

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  11. Wow, thanks for the kind words! I love your site, LivingSoAbundantly!
    Blessings,
    Erin

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  12. Erin, I am sad and glad to know that someone else can relate to fear. I have lived with fear all my life but never to the extent I have since the breakdown. Fortunately I have my hubby, children and a few close friends to help me with those fears and to understand and work around them as well. I also have a Dr. who monitors all of my illnesses both those that are physical as well as the mental processes and medication as needed when the anxiety or fears cripple me. People love to say don't worry or there is nothing to be afraid of...it's not that easy as you know. I feel each family adjusts and handles things the way that is acceptable for their family and the most important thing we can do is support them. God is always there to listen to our fears and to hold us in his arms and he knows what is best for all of us. I know that he goes with me everytime I do something that is out of my comfort zone and he understands when I can't do something or when I try and need to stop. My family & my friends know that I "nod and smile" alot for their sake, they don't ask or expect me to but they know that I love them that much! They also undertstand that my fear is as exhausting as my physical illnesses. I miss alot of things and our lives are different but we have adapted to what works for us. We learned the hard way who is there for you at the end of the day and because of that we are also blessed. God has never left us, he doesn't leave, we leave him.
    Although I have not attended church since the breakdown due to my fears I still pray & believe. My children were deeply hurt by others when my illness took a turn for the worse and I ask that you say a pray for them that their hearts can remember that one congregation is not a reflection on all churches or all people in the church! To leave you with a smaile, my friend always says "just exactly what is normal...you may be the normal one" lol...he is right seriously who gets to decide that...
    Love to you and to all your readers!

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  13. Karen, thank you so much for being honest and vulnerable. You are so precious to God! I believe that with the help of your wonderful husband and family and friends, you will find your way out of fear. Hold your head high and know that there are many people who battle fear. I will life you in prayer as you continue your journey and I will pray that the Lord will heal your children's hearts! You are a blessing!
    Love you,
    ~Erin

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  14. Hi Erin,
    Love this post! I've never really pictured myself climbing into God's lap, but always feel He is near. I'm going to spend more time imagining sitting in His lap, feeling His arms around me, His breath on my hair and listening to His heartbeat! Thank you for the imagery!
    Blessings,
    Trish
    P.S. I'm very thankful Helen brought us together at the White Lion!

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  15. Tears tears but loved reading... I wish I had the strength to write like you... I just don't know where to start... Also I'm afraid if people read my story they would judge.. Kudos to you for the courage and faith to share your thoughts .. I love reading them and gives much inspiration

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  16. Trish, thanks so much for stopping by! I am so glad that we got to meet at the White Lion! I love the other blogs you referred me to!
    You are a blessing,
    Erin
    PS Enjoy being on His lap!

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  17. Motivators Changing Lifestyles Together...I love that. Don't ever be afraid of people judging your story. It's YOUR story. You have a right to tell it! If people judge, walk on and find people who love you. We all have stories...that aren't so attractive, but those stories help shape who we are.

    I just followed your blog to get you motivated
    to tell your story!
    Blessings,
    ~Erin

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  18. Amen! The evil one loves to get us to take our eyes off the Face of our Father, so that we become afraid. But when we stay focused on Him, His Light shines into every dark corner and reveals only shadows, not the monsters we thought were lurking there. :)

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  19. Oh, I like that...not the monsters we thought were lurking there!

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  20. Thank you for sharing this, Erin. I rely heavily on 2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV, only, for the beauty and punch of the words): "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." This verse reminds me that my fear is not of the Lord. I fight against fear and, with God's help, win most of the time. Now tell me about the painting/photo of Jesus embracing the girl, because that's an image that really helps me.

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  21. Brandee, I have seen that pic on several blogs and videos. I tried to search if it was copywrited but I couldn't find anything. If you do a google image search on "Jesus holding child" it's the first one that comes up. That means it's used a lot.
    ~Erin

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  22. Thank you for sharing! What a beautiful encouragement. We just started a journey to adopt. We feel God's hand strongly leading us. He is our comfort when we fear through this journey. I like your phrase "in His lap!" Blessings!

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  23. I pray for God's hand to be on you as you begin the adoption process! I pray that you walk out this journey, close to Him, letting Him guide you every step of the way! Thanks you so much for stopping by. I will be praying for you!
    Blessings,
    ~Erin

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Thank you for giving us a little nugget of truth from your heart!

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