[Like this funny squirrel picture? Read the titles people have added for this photo and have a good laugh. Laughter is healing. You can add your own title.]Life's troubles and bad circumstances provide a great reason to climb into a shell to protect yourself. God tells us He will be our protection and that we are not to fear. We can never protect ourselves from problems even if we limit our involvement in life itself. Sin entered into the world and there is, and always will be until the Lord's return, evil around us.
There but for the grace of God, go I. We are all capable of being evil, but praise God, we chose salvation and we are now in Christ. No longer a resident of this world, but a child of the King. We can live within the Kingdom in the midst of all the evil.
We have promises of God that we can apply to life's injustices. Our human minds would like to have God just take away all the pain and sorrow, but that's not the eternal plan. It will be around us always until we depart from this world. Our mission, as Christians, is to show people there is a spiritual realm of safety and peace, above the earthly realm of bad events.
There is a 'hiding place' under the shadow of His wings. When we dwell in the secret place, we have the promises of Psalm 91. Designed within us is the ability to dwell with God here on earth, so that we can experience miraculous protection and provision amidst the horrors of this world. We can hide out with God, or hide out by ourselves by forming a shell of withdrawal around our hearts and souls.
We have a refuge always. It doesn't change all circumstances, but it can change the way you see them and the way you experience them. Isn't it true that those people you know who always talk about how awful life is, and how everything bad happens to them, are the ones that always have the "bad luck" they daily speak over themselves?
Choices, choices! We have them every second of our lives. Every thought we have triggers a physiological and psychological reaction in our bodies. Different chemical (hormones) are released based on our thoughts. When I'm in the garden, I am next to God. After all, He did create a garden and then place man and woman within it to fellowship with Him. Why wouldn't I be thinking grand thoughts and feel love flowing amidst His created beauty?
I used to have many fears when it came to bugs and buzzing things, but when I fell in love with God's Creation, those fears gradually melted away because "there is no fear in love." (1 John 4:18) I began to look at bugs and creepy crawly things as artwork of God. An amazing thing with a purpose of its own that is connected in some way to benefit our lives on earth.
Now I work amidst the flowers with bees buzzing at my ears and flying in my face and I get a warm glow just thinking about being so close to something that I used to fear so much. Learning more about bees has provided some surprising information. If you'd like to know more, here's a site with some facts about bees: ut.essortment.com/beefear_rcph.htm
We miss out on so much of life when we withdraw into ourselves, rather than retreating into the safety that our Father provides for us. We grow as we relate - not isolate. In Him we can heal and move forward. We can find that the pain and torment we experience from attacks against ourselves is often times worse than what we experience in "the real world." We were created for fellowship - with God and with others. Take that step outside and God will carry you through.
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