Tag Archives: nature

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May 10, 2014

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Fear & Doubt, Fruit of the Spirit, Nature, Trusting God

Nothing to Fear

This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. [Joshua 1:9 (NLT)] 

As I started out for a walk the other evening, my neighbor stopped me. A bear had just been sighted at the end of our street, checking out the garbage cans and fishing in the canal. I did what any sensible person would and went back inside! God may tell us we have nothing to fear if we trust him, but he doesn’t tell us to be reckless or foolhardy.

If there are still things which we as sensible Christians should fear, what is it that we don’t need to fear? We never have to fear not being up to a task if it is task given to us by God. With God’s power, we never have to fear not being good enough, rich enough, smart enough, pretty enough, or worthy enough. We never have to fear being rejected or unloved. We are His and He loves us unconditionally. We never have to fear being abandoned or facing the unknown because we are never alone; He is always with us. We never have to fear being too weak because the Holy Spirit will give us the strength to withstand whatever Satan throws at us.

I don’t walk in dangerous neighborhoods or flash wads of money around in a crowd and I certainly don’t walk with bears. I do, however, walk with God and, because I walk with Him, I have nothing to fear.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. [2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)]

 

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May 2, 2014

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Challenges & Difficulty, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Nature

Accepting Help

accepting helpListen to my pleading, Lord! Be merciful and send the help I need. [Psalm 27:7 (TLB)]

There it was, smack dab in the middle of the road: a Florida softshell turtle. Since softshells rarely leave the water except to bask in the sun at water’s edge, I think this one was on her way to dig a nest and drop her eggs. Unfortunately, every time a car came along, she tucked herself back into her shell. Just about the time she felt confident enough to stick out her neck, along would come another car and she’d retreat again into her shell. At that rate, I knew it was highly unlikely that she’d make it across the road before becoming road-kill. Florida softshells are big and can be aggressive; this one was about two feet long and probably weighed forty-five pounds. My concern was that, if I tried to pick her up, I’d end up dropping her before getting her to safety, especially if she got feisty about being carried. The best I could do was caution the oncoming cars to swerve around her. Fortunately, a landscaper stopped, reached in his truck to get a shovel, gently scooped her up, and carried her into the bushes.

What did I learn from all of this? First, if we ever want to get somewhere, we’ve got to stick out our necks. Second, sometimes we have to accept a little help to get where we need to go.

Lord, we are often more willing to offer a helping hand to others than to accept the hand that offers help to us. Please guide us to know when we are able tough it out on our own and when we need some aid. Keep us from hiding in shells to conceal our vulnerability. Don’t ever let us be too proud to ask for help; keep us from rebuffing assistance when it is offered. Thank you for the help you send that comes from friends and strangers.

Be brave enough to accept the help of others. [Melba Cosgrove]

Pride goes before destruction and haughtiness before a fall. [Proverbs 16:18 (TLB)]