EPIPHANY FOR THE YEAR 2012 🙂
Our FORTY Fabulous days of Fear Not are finishing. Someday, when I have time LOL, I’ll have to go through the Bible and find all 365 FEAR NOT verses! He must think that it’s pretty important or He wouldn’t say it so many times! 🙂 The New Year is still fresh with promise of blessings to come. But “life” will come at us too- we just need to be prepared to run to our Father for His presence and love that triumphantly squashes all fear.
We can’t let fear stop us.
LET GO and move forward, grab more of God!
As I contemplated the New Year, letting go of the old and moving toward the “new” things God has for me this year, I had my own epiphany. I remembered as I watched Bethany, Cohen, and Finley play at the park together this summer. Their childlike joy and carefree glee splashed all over my spirit! I basked in their innocence as they played hide and seek, tag, then ran to the swings. Tiring of that, they paraded to the slide and climbing wall. But one apparatus gave them trouble; the monkey bars. Maybe some of you are monkeys but letting go of one rung and reaching for the next is something I’ve never accomplished in my life time! Swinging from rung to rung takes strength, momentum, and ability. When they trted it, they wanted me right under them, holding them with both hands. When I helped them swing forward, they squealed,
“Are you sure you have me?
You won’t let me fall?”
Life is like the monkey bars.
To Get to our New Destination, we are faced with a challenge! We must swing out in faith and move forward, one hand grabbing the next rung while the other hand lets go of the past rung! But the scary thing is, it’s a long way to drop and if you hesitate and stop you lose your momentum forward. Then you’re stuck in no man’s land- not able to go backward or forwards- only to hang on. Then the “burn” begins and you know that unless help comes, you’re going to fall.
But we can’t let fear stop us!
I must, you must
Learn to let Go, move forward with God!
That’s why I’ve learned I CAN NOT navigate the monkey bars of life alone! 🙂
I YELL when I see a life challenge from a mile away-
“Uh-oh GOD! MONKEY BARS ahead! I need your help! I need strength and momentum to move forward! I need help letting go! I can’t do this alone!”
When I hear Beth or Cohen or Finley cry out, “Nana, I need help!” I don’t sit there and yell- “aw, you can do it.” NO! I jump up and run to help them! HOW MUCH MORE SO OUR HEAVENLY FATHER DEMONSTRATES HIS LOVE FOR US!!!
Who ever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved! He is our EVER PRESENT HELP!
The Epiphany, the verse I want to sum up all of our fearful moments for this coming year is:
FEAR NOT! IHAVE REDEEMED YOU! I HAVE CALLED YOU BY YOUR NAME, YOU ARE MINE!
WHEN YOU PASS THROUGH THE WATERS, I WILL BE WITH YOU , AND THE RIVERS SHALL NOT OVERFLOW YOU! WHEN YOU WALK THROUGH THE FIRE YOU SHALL NOT BE BURNED, NOR SHALL THE FLAME SCORCH YOU, FOR I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD- YOU ARE MINE.” Isaiah 43:1b-3
If He has redeemed you- He has purchased you. You are His. No one, nothing, can take you from Him!Let go of fear…
Hold on to God!
FEAR NOT!
Surprising Treasure: God went to extreme lengths to redeem, purchase, and procure you!
He will not let us go or let us be destroyed. He’s got us in the palm of His hand and He calls us by name!
Amen sister!
Wow! I got an Amen! 🙂 It’s funny- as soon as I wrote this I was challenged to put it into practice- fear is a wily enemy but Jesus is bigger and stronger 🙂
Monkey bars! I usually consider myself quite fearless, but heights are an exception 🙂 Thankfully, we know “underneath are the everlasting Arms!” Thanks muchly for this Fear Not series. You’re the best, SweetiePie!
I wish I would have thought of that phrase- “underneath the everlasting Arms!” so true- here I was so focused on navigating forward and letting go- I forgot the most important thing to emphasize!!!!! His everlasting arms are there- ahhhhh. 🙂 hugs Edy
Well, that’s peculiar, Cindy, because I clearly read/discerned that phrase in your illustration of BEING Christ with skin on for the kidlets: “They wanted me right under them.” 🙂 I love you all to pieces, my dear!
The song won’t be be released for another week or so, but a Christian band that our congregation has twice hosted called Cloverton from Manhattan, KS has recorded “The End is the Beginning.” I am anxious to hear it. Interesting that as we move from rung to rung our trust and confidence grows, making each reach a new beginning. Letting go off fear can truly be a new beginning.
Can’t wait to here it- sounds good- so much of life’s endings are really new beginnings- 🙂 letting go is difficult for me but I’m learning 🙂
Sitting here doing my devotions… Bethany is cuddled up next to me, her Bible in her lap reading the story of Jacob and his family. Wow! (Her mommy taught her to read!)
God has opened her mind and understanding!!!!! -my dreams and prayers have been fulfilled- for Bethany to read His word and know Him and to walk in His love- that is supreme!
Cindy, I have been thinking in these past 40 days of the differing ways in which we use the word “fear”–I know it must go back to the Greek or Hebrew words, of which I am not informed. The “fear” in Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…” is to be desired, but He also tells us to “Fear not”, a much different meaning for the same four letters in our language. (Brings to mind the saying that fear is False Evidence Appearing Real in one context.)
In any event, have very much enjoyed this meditation–two words that have always been so much an ordinary part of the Christmas story will now always take me deeper into realizing the true impact on our everyday lives, all year long, until He comes again!
Wow Cecilia! That’s deep. When I used to be “afraid” to witness or stand up for my faith- I would ask myself- What are you more afraid of Cindy- afraid of people’s opinion’s or afraid you’ll disappoint God? How much better to “fear”/reverence the Lord with all our hearts- then the fears of this world will lose their power in our lives. hugs-