Yesterday I made a little confession about how I procrastinate. While I'm on the subject of my frailties, today I will talk about one of my fears.... riding in a car.... especially in the rain or at night (or in the daytime, come to think of it).
It doesn't matter if I am driving or am a passenger, when I am riding in a car in the rain, my stomach gets tied up in knots. I have tried to figure out exactly why I am like this and there are several things that have contributed to it. The first rung in this ladder of fear was when I was about 20 years old, driving my little red 1977 Chevette. Anybody remember those? :o). Anyway, I was driving to work in Raleigh at the time in the rain. I came up to a stoplight that turned yellow just as I came to it. The safest thing would have been to keep on going, but I slammed on brakes and the car skidded out of control. I didn't hit anybody or flip over, but it was VERY close.
Over the years my fear of riding in cars in the rain has gotten worse. And to tell you the truth, driving on a sunny, clear day isn't a picnic for me. The latest rung on the ladder of fear was when I was involved in a fairly serious wreck two summers ago. Also, I was once hit by two big ole cows and never go through that section of my route to work without watching out for more!!!!!
The reason I am telling you all of this today is that we are experiencing some very rainy, blustery days here in North Carolina. The combination of the remnants of a tropical storm and a low that has formed of the coast are making for some bad weather conditions, including flooding. Today I am off work for Veteran's Day, but have an appointment that is very important for me to get to.
So, you guessed it!!! I have to drive in the rain today!!!!
It is very important for me to remember that during all the accidents I have been in and the near misses, I was never seriously hurt... and that's no accident! At those times I have always remembered this Scripture verse:
Psalm 91:11-12: For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up so that you will not dash your foot against a stone. This is also the scripture verse that is the theme of my Angel Scraps Quilting Blog.
This morning while reading the Bible, I was looking for verses on fear and have memorized this one for comfort today:
Joshua Chapter 1, Verse 9: I hereby command you; Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Notice that God COMMANDED the Israelites not to be afraid and to trust Him! Now fear is a God given human emotion that serves its purpose in the right situations. Think of running from a bear for example. So fear is not a sin.
So how do we handle situations where we are afraid? Lots of prayer, trust and repeating scriptures like the two above!
Since we are all human and all experience fear, I would be interested to know what kinds of things you are afraid of and how you handle these fears. Please leave a comment if you would like to share.
5 comments:
My sister lives in Virginia and was talking about the Noreaster that's on it's way. She lives by the water...
A fear of mine is my son getting the stomach flu. Strange, I know. :) I just get anxious when he is sick like that. I can handle colds, poo, etc, but not "gerf" as I call it. lol. But, if that does occur, I try and focus on the Lord and remember that He is in control of ALL and will give me the courage to get through it. :)
I've had some pretty scary moments driving on ice. Fortunately for me, I can avoid driving when the weather is really bad. I find that the best way to face my fears is to allow myself a little 5 minute pity party, then just get on with it. Usually the actuality isn't as bad as I imagined.
Jane
I'm sorry to hear of your fear of driving! I gathered you didn't like to drive but did not realize you feared it.
I have a huge fear now of coming home alone. My house got robbed this summer, I was the one to walk in the house alone and discovered we were robbed. I absoulutely hate to come home now. Afraid we may have been robbed again or someone in the house. A feeling I cannot even describe!
Melinda
I'm still scared of the dark!!! And of letting my toes hang out of the bottom of the covers. I always feel like something might grab them! I am extremely afraid of something happening to little "D". And of something happening to anyone I love. So be careful Mama!! Love you! :)
It's very windy here to night...something like 40 mile per hour winds. We are tucked away in the bay, but Virginia Beach and the Norfolk area are getting hammered.
I'm okay at driving, but then I learned overseas among very dangerous drivers. I think I experienced every kind of bad driver and condition as a young person, so it made fearful conditions normal for me.
The best way to get over fear is to face it head on. Course, driving in bad conditions is not ideal...I think we all try to avoid it! If I have to drive in rain, I tell myself I can handle it, and try to focus on the mechanics of driving safely, rather than on my feelings....focusing on the road lines, or the lights of a driver in front of me. Slow and steady.
Post a Comment