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| Banner outside the front door of the Morrison Academy in Taichung. |
What are you afraid of?
It seems that in the past few weeks I have had more conversations
than usual about fear, and I am not a fearful person, so I typically find them
quite interesting conversations.
I had dear friends come to Swaziland recently who were
afraid (no, terrified) of snakes and didn’t want to open the windows of their
room in the 101 F weather for fear that the snakes would come in. I have spoken with High School
Seniors who are afraid of not getting in to their #1 choice of College or
University – how could their 2nd choice possibly be okay? Tonight I had a conversation with a
friend about the fear of loss … losing everything we have worked so hard to
gain – “what if I lose my house, my influence, my 401K?” Of course there is the usual fear of
failure, fear of disappointing others and fear of the unknown that has crept up
and snared many friends and family members in the past few weeks.
“Do not fear, for I am with you…”
Today I had a meeting with a dear friend who travels to
Swaziland every year with a group of students. Today he told me that he would not be traveling in 2015
because the people who sponsor the trip financially are afraid of the students
getting the EBOLA virus. The driving
distance between Swaziland and Sierra Leone is more than 6,000 miles and you
would have to travel through 13 different African countries to get there, any
yet there is fear.
“Do not fear, for I am with you…”
I am writing this blog for myself today. I am in Taiwan right now as a guest at
the Morrison Academy School in Taichung.
I am a Speaker at Spiritual Life
Week from Monday to Friday next week and it just so happens to be Chloe’s
last Spiritual Life Week of her High School career. Now, THAT is something to fear! I am to stand up in front of hundreds
of kids at Christian school whose parents are “real missionaries” and share the
word of God. These kids have
parents who have been beaten up by the Chinese Mafia for fighting against Human
Trafficking, they translate the bible into new languages, they plant churches
in China with hopes that the church will not be discovered by the authorities,
AND have had to learn a foreign language in which to do all of these things! And I am to pass on a message that will
be meaningful, memorable and from God.
Ugh!
Isaiah 41:10 says,
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am
your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my
righteous right hand. “
Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust
in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on
your own understanding; in all your ways submit
to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
I will claim both of those
scriptures today as I prepare for God to use my voice and my life experiences
for His work and His purposes.
What are you afraid of today? Will you join me in claiming the two
scriptures above and trust that “God’s got it”? (That one was for you Sandy and Donald Wise).
Live from Taiwan … I am not afraid.
Janine
PS I am also thankful that I was here for Chloe's "Banquet" and got to take photos before she headed out.
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