Fear is a funny thing, isn’t it? It can be crippling if we allow it a place in our lives.
This past week, I went to the beauty school for a perm. I came home afterward smelling like chemicals. When I walked in the door, one of my dogs ran up and enthusiastically greeted me like she always does.
The cowardly dog, however, hung back. It was obvious in her little face that she really wanted to greet me, wanted the attention she would receive, but she was scared. I even tried coaxing her to me, but she wouldn’t come close. Her heart was telling her it was fine, but her eyes told her that the person didn’t quite look like me and her nose told her that the person certainly didn’t smell like me.
How often do we do the same? God gives us a promise, we believe (intellectually) that it’s true, yet we end up trusting what our senses tell us rather than what God says.
For example, God says our sins are forgiven, yet we see the consequences of our sins and still feel guilty for what we’ve done, therefore we doubt that we’ve really been forgiven.
Or how about when Jesus promises troubles and says He has overcome the world (John 16:33) yet we act defeated when trials come?
I think too often we judge our circumstances by what we can see, hear, touch, smell, and feel rather than through the filter of God’s promises. In doing so, we sell God short and cut ourselves off from the blessings He has for us.
Maybe we need to stop smelling the perm solution and start actively believing God’s promises.
And by the way, my dog got over her fear and once again greets me enthusiastically. May we be as enthusiastic about God’s promises!
Candle Sutton 