FROM FEAR TO FAITH
The ability to empathize or to see through someone else’s eyes is an important part of the counseling relationship. Actually, it is a valuable skill to have in any relationship. It takes listening and caring and the willingness to set aside our own perceptions and to enter into the world of the person we are wanting to be close to. As a counselor this is something I am able to do pretty well once I get to know the client. As a parent of a teenager, in all honesty, I have to admit there are times I miss the boat entirely. Sometimes when you love a person and you are concerned for their well-being, fear can take over and cause you to react or interact with them in an unloving or unsympathetic way. When this happens not only are we responding out of fear which brings a negative reaction, but it also can stir up a spirit of offense and hurt when the other person responds to the interaction as an attack.
Recognizing when we are operating out of a spirit of fear, especially in relationships, is one of the ways the Holy Spirit can help us repent and reach out to restore our connection. My favorite verse to fight fear is:
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear,
but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV
When Peter and the other disciples were in a boat in a storm in the middle of the night fighting to get to shore, they saw something coming across the water towards them, and they were afraid. This is a very natural response. They had been with Jesus all day and seen him do many miracles, including feeding the 5,000 with 5 loaves and 2 fishes. He had sent them ahead in the boat. Now these men had been through storms before, several were seasoned fishermen, yet they were struggling in that storm. Have you ever felt like that? After a long and somewhat confusing time, things that should come easy are hard and you feel like you are fighting the waves and winds and getting nowhere, then something scary happens. You can read the account in Matthew 14:22-33.
Recognizing that it was Jesus coming towards them changed Peter’s perspective. Instead of focusing on the storm around him, He was filled with courage and asked to come out on the water with Jesus. And for a little while Peter walked on the water. I love Peter’s humanity. I want to have that courage and focus and not lose sight of Jesus even when He calls me out to walk on the water in the midst of a storm.
I want to be a loving empathetic parent to all of my girls, and part of doing that is to trust God and what He is doing in their lives and not to walk in fear. As God continues to grow me in believing and standing on His promises, I am able to have healthier relationships that are based on love.
“Let love and kindness be the motivation behind all that you do.”
2 Corinthians 16:15 TPT
“Give God the right to direct your life, and as you trust Him along the way, you’ll find He pulled it off perfectly.”
Psalm 37:5 TPT
At the end of this month, we are going to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. He suffered and died to reconcile us to God and He wants us to be reconciled to one another. His resurrection power lives in us through the Holy Spirit. Will you join me in changing your focus from fear to faith? In the storms you are going through, turn your eyes on Jesus, stand on God’s promises to love and deliver you and your loved ones, and operate out of a spirit of love and power and have a sound mind. Let’s remember what has already been done for us by our Savior and let’s operate out of that deep love in relationship to one another.
God bless you my brothers and sisters in Christ,
Betsy O’Callaghan