Fear

Fear is a house of cards that collapses with the slightest whisper.

Fear is an air-filled balloon that, when released, flies uncontrollably around the room.

Fear is the bird that pecks and flutters adamantly at the hand that is helping to get its fallen baby back into the safety of the nest.

Fear is desperately trying to find solid footing on a boat in a storm.

Fear is the dog that growls and snaps at the one who tries to care for it after it’s been hit by a car.

Fear is twirling and twirling and twirling until earth and body collide painfully, and still the twirling continues.

Fear is driving with a brake pedal that doesn’t work.

Fear is chasing the papers from the notebook that was blown out of the hand on a windy day.

 Fear is reliving that moment before impact over and over and over again.

Fear is grasping and grabbing to hold onto the air raft as the waves keep crashing and moving it farther away.

Fear is the assembly line that moves faster and faster and doesn’t stop when the emergency button is pushed.

Fear is that scrawny fox that snarls and snaps at any other creature who threatens its food.

Fear is spinning on a playground merry-go-round when one hand has come loose and the other is hanging on for dear life.

Fear is chasing the baseball that was hit all the way to the fence and running back with it in seemingly slow motion while everyone watches and waits.

Fear is a kite that gets caught in the wind and jerks violently back and forth before getting stuck in the branches of a tree.

Fear is the rabbit whose eyes never stop moving, darting back-and-forth, always looking for danger.

Fear is a struggling fish scooped up in a net to be placed in water while its tank is cleaned.

Fear is the hen that covers her eggs and holds them close to her body to keep them safe from the prowling raccoon.

Fear is a fogged over windshield that obscures.

Fear is the snake that strikes at the ankle of the foot that steps too close.

Fear is the roly-poly bug that curls into a ball and tries to pretend it isn’t there.

Fear is the deer that stares, unable to move or react.

Fear is the whisk that jumbles everything together.

 

Fear is the laugh of the kookaburra in the absence of humor.

 

Fear is the fire that moves from place to place destroying everything in its path.

Fearing is walking through a house of mirrors and not knowing what is real and what is perceived.

Fear is a question mark and an exclamation point.

Fear sees evil in kindness… ugliness in beauty…and oppression in safety.

So many children with so much fear. 

“There is no fear in love.  But perfect love drives out fear…” I John 4:18a

Love looks beyond the behavior and beneath the surface to the depths of the soul where fear has its tightest grip.

May we strive to love perfectly.

 

 

Dolphins, and Kittens, and Orphans, Oh My!

I was recently talking with someone about Orphan Care and throughout the conversation they kept lumping it together with causes such as Saving the Dolphins and Spaying and Neutering.

Wait. What??

It bothered me, but it also got me thinking. Maybe that’s the way the general public views Orphan Care- as a cause; a good cause, but a cause none the less.
So what sets Orphan Care apart from other noble causes like Saving Dolphins and Spaying and Neutering Pets?

Simply put, the Gospel.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NIV)

^“But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?” Romans 10:14 (NLT)

When we care for orphans, whether through adoption, family preservation efforts, or support of the many organizations who are committed to helping orphans, we are paving the way to further the gospel. When a child’s mind and body are not consumed with survival, they are more able to learn about the God who loves them. When they see this love in action through His people, they are more able to believe that God is real. When they are in a situation where they are able to hear about God’s gift of salvation, the opportunity exists for them to have faith. Children who were once alone and hopeless are coming to know the Lord through the ripple effect of Orphan Care, and those children in turn are able to influence future generations.

 

This impacts eternity.

There are many causes that make the world a better place and I’m not advocating turning our backs on dolphins or kittens. I’m simply suggesting that we separate things of eternal value from things that are merely good. Perhaps the orphan that you help today will become tomorrow’s marine biologist?