LETTING GO OF FEAR

Oftentimes we gather up our fears and worries like prized possessions. We are afraid to loosen our grip on them, because we just don't know what will happen if we let go. They take root in our minds, we cultivate and water them and soon they grow even bigger. They consume our thoughts, our actions and our relationships; they become our identity.

"For as he thinks in his heart, so is he." Proverbs 23:7

Fear can be defined as:

False   Evidence   Appearing   Real

Fear is the outcome of our trying to control the future instead of trusting God and living for Him in the present. It is made up from our own imaginations of what could be if this happens or that happens and our wrong perceptions of who we are and what is truly important. Fear and worry make us irrational, unproductive, and stunts our spiritual growth.

"And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful." Matthew 13:22

 

It is only by casting our cares on the Lord and leaving them there that we will ever overcome them. This is not to say that we will no longer have these issues in our life; but it does mean they will no longer rule our life. As Christians, it is only when we can learn that our identity is not who we are, but Whose we are that we will truly be able to find our real self.

 

“Until you have given up your self to Him you will not have a real self.” C. S. Lewis

 

"The worst evils of life are those which do not exist except in our imagination. If we had no troubles but real troubles, we should not have a tenth part of our present sorrows. We feel a thousand deaths in fearing one, but the Christian is cured of the disease of fearing."
Charles Spurgeon

 

"I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.” Psalm 34:4

 

 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones” Proverbs 3:5-8.

 

Beauty from Weakness

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." ~2 Corinthians 12:9-10

We all have areas of weakness in our lives. They may be personal areas of weakness that we struggle with such as uncertainty, anger, fear, arrogance, greed, laziness, stubbornness, selfishness, or impatience. Or, it can be a situation that we have gone through that we allow to consume our life such as past hurts, family squabbles, disease, job loss or the death of a loved one.  We sometimes use these things as excuses for our behavior, or in contrast we cling to the mindset that we have to put on a strong front and never let others perceive us as weak. Both views are equally damaging and unbiblical.

When they become our excuses, our weaknesses become burdens that we carry around with us and pull out whenever we need an alibi: "You know how I am" or "What I have been through..." Instead of  wallowing in our weaknesses, Christ says we are to rejoice in them and to trust in Him, for our weaknesses are made perfect in His strength. Our weaknesses are blessings; they show us our need for complete dependence on God. When we try to make it on our own we will always fail, but He takes the most wretched things in our lives and makes them into something beautiful.

On the other hand, we can take on the mantras, "You've Got To Be Strong" or "Never Let Them See You Sweat." We act like we have it all together, nothing can get to us, we can handle whatever life throws our way. This is detrimental to our Christian walk and witness. We must realize that it is never by our own strength that we can bring about change, healing, growth... It is only through complete surrender and utter dependence on Christ alone!

"Unless the Lord builds the house,They labor in vain who build it..."Psalm 127:1

As Christians we are to share our weaknesses, to be open and vulnerable with one another, to be truthful, and we are also called to hold one another accountable. Strength and power are not virtues to be lauded, but rather it is a  life of complete surrender and humility that is to be praised.

"Blessed is weakness, for it draws to itself the strength of God!... The best thoughts, the richest life lessons, the sweetest songs that have come down to us from the past—have not come from lives that have known no privation, no adversity—but are the fruits of pain, of weakness, of trial. Men have cried out for emancipation from the bondage of hardship, of sickness, of infirmity, of self-denying necessity; not knowing that the thing which seemed to be hindering them in their career—was the very making of whatever was noble, beautiful, and blessed in their life." ~J. R. Miller

"Real true faith is man's weakness leaning on God's strength."- Dwight L. Moody

So…What exactly is My Southern Wife Life? It is a place for me to share on a variety of topics that make up my life as a Christian wife and mother who happens to be from the south. It also makes a great acronym!

Marriage-My closest earthly relationship and one of the topics that I am most passionate about.

Young at heart-I want to foster that sense of wonder and adventure that you have as a child, but more importantly I want to have a childlike faith, completely trusting in my Heavenly Father.

Scripture-My daily source for growth, hope, encouragement and knowledge.

Oneness-In my marriage and in the body of Christ.

U-turns-Where we live you can’t go anywhere without making a U-turn, but spiritually we can’t get anywhere without U-turns either. We are following our own path and God intervenes and turns our life around.

Travel-My husband’s job relocated us several years ago and we get to visit many beautiful places.

Hospitality-A trait that embodies Christian love and service and an area where I am striving to grow.

Education-Book lover, Lifelong Learner and Homeschooling mother of 3.

Recipes-I love to cook and make up my own recipes!

Nature-The beauty of God’s creation and natural solutions for home and health care.

Wisdom-I am striving to grow daily in my knowledge and understanding of God’s word.
Inspiration-I want to inspire my daughters and other young women to embrace Biblical womanhood.
Faith-The foundation on which everything in my life is built.
Encouragement-I hope to encourage other women on their journey to be the wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend, etc. that God is calling them to be.

Love-For God, my husband, my children and my fellow man.
Insight-That God has given me over the past 26 years as a wife, mother and homeschooler.
Family-The people that God has placed in my life to love and serve, my biological family and my church family.
Excellence- And may the Lord cause you to increase and abound (excel) in love for one another and for all, just as we do for you, so that your hearts are strengthened in holiness to be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. -1 Thessalonians 3:12-13