Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. (Isaiah 12:2)
In my life,
fear has run the gamut, from the anxiety that builds up as I approach boarding
a roller coaster to having two sons serving in Iraq, their deployments
overlapping each other. These fears are intense, but have an eventual end.
I sit with
people in Al Anon meetings who share their stories of living with a loved one
suffering the disease of addiction, and sometimes there is no end in sight. Years
upon years of worry and anxiety and fear. That’s the stuff that destroys souls!
And families!
The people
to whom I listen share their stories of experience, strength and hope, and it
seems to me that we surround each other like a buoying life preserver, helping
each other in the strength of the Spirit who brought us together. We even find
ourselves laughing together at times, like a spoonful of the sweetest medicine.
The wisdom in that program directs people to their Higher Power, encouraging
them to care for themselves and become a stronger person. Turning to and
trusting Our Lord!
Take your
special gifts of love, listening and laughter, and help someone’s fear subside
a bit. Be the messenger, and “Bit by bit the river grows, ‘til all at once it
overflows” *
I still have
fears, but I trust God is sending me the angels I need.
Lord God, we will trust in you. Send your Spirit to
wash away our fears in times of despair. Give us courage and wisdom to buoy
others when they are afraid, to extend to them your love, peace and calmness in
the midst of chaos. Amen.
Sue Reier is a retired early childhood
educator, a PA Master Naturalist, and member of Saint Paul's Lutheran Church
Orwigsburg, and its team leader of Stewardship in Creation.
*lyric from
"Joy is Like the Rain”
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