I got a chance to go “back home” to Ohio and Michigan last week and see all of my family. Coming from a family of 7 uncles and 2 aunts with many first cousins, it was a bittersweet celebration of my cousin’s funeral.

All of us first cousin’s recognized something about our parents, that we now recognize in ourselves that we don’t want to pass on, their anxiety of tragedy.  They fear of the very worst thing possible, that could happen, all the time!  Many of our parents developed such anxiety from bad experiences, and in their way of love and care, project their ultimate fears unto us.

Sadly such anxiety can be contagious, and put fears in people who don’t want to be anxious about everything all the time!  This trait of anxiety is something all of us can relate though.  Because Jesus rebuked the disciples for having the kind of fear that anticipates the worst thing possible, instead of faith in Jesus.

That’s not to say we shouldn’t be cautious and mindful of risks and dangers.  But the spirit of fear, where you go to extremes that God is going to leave us for dead, before we entertain any risk of faith, is to be paralyzed in life.  Jesus rebuke to the disciples was for them to look back on their life with Him, and see how He has provided for them.  So they would not exaggerate every challenge in their life, and be ruled by anxiety instead of faith.

In His Love, Ld