Fear is this creepy thing that somewhere along the way decided it could get involved with our lives.

I think at one time, fear didn't really exist for me. Maybe in some ways but definitely not like it does today.

I remember when, as kids, we would go off and explore. There would be dangers and the unknown, but we didn't care. We were kids and following the creek as far as we could was the adventure of a lifetime.

One day though, the creek wasn't as easily ventured down. One day, life became different, not as available. Adventure seemed less of a possibility in places other than the house or the internet.

I think we all can look back on a time where we were "more free" and less worried about what was coming. I wish that I was there right now, but this lingering bit of fear that has crept in has been there for a while now.

I'd like to think of fear as something that looms somewhere inside, but I think we have it all wrong when we think of it as something that can take us over.

Think about it like this.

You're a waiter/waitress at a restaurant. You have your tables that you are serving, everything is good and smiley when all of a sudden you see a customer in the corner booth. You're familiar with this customer. Anytime that they have ordered from you, they give you a hard time. They don't tip you, and you just know they are there to specifically ruin your day. The sight of him makes you become upset, slowly changing the hope that you were once abounding with to a dislodging presence. You continue to serve your customers, but your smile doesn't quite hang the same, you wish that he would leave so you could just continue with your day, in peace.

That brooding customer is fear. He comes in, just to show his face, just to make your day turn into something that it never had to be.

A lot of times we allow this one customer to dictate our day. We tell our manager and he tells us to not worry about it, that he will cover the table, just do what is already before you, but it's like we can't... we just want that customer completely gone. And when he isn't, we let frustration come upon our hearts and the unsettling wishes of a good-rest-of-the-day is gone like a really good pizza buffet.

If you didn't pick it up yet, our manager is Jesus. He has come in and said He will take care of fear. But what do we do in our human nature? We let annoyance and drifting concentration drag us into the future instead of embracing the perfect love* that our manager has.

It's not what we do that casts out this fear, it is who He is. It is Him taking care of it fully.

Of course, I want the fear to be gone as much as the next person, but I am not sure if it ever completely leaves. Like a bad odor after you go #2, it may stick around for a bit. But what I know is that we have been given everything we need for life and godliness.*

By keeping our hearts in step with what He has said that He will do, we can serve, we can live, we can more beautifully embrace the joy that comes.

Fear is just an irritator, not an overcomer.

So many times we lose our minds because we feel that fear has overcome us, but it hasn't. Our focus has just shifted to what sits in the corner instead of who is running the shop. Like a fire on a cold night, are we embracing the warmth available or being pulled away by the cold that lingers in the dark?

Fear is simply the opportunity to direct us to faith, courage, boldness, and strength.

It is forever tempting to focus on fear and let it take over who we are, but He is our life, our way, and our truth.* Let His words be the authoritative voice in you even when fear is still spectating.

* = scripture; legit references to the Word of God