“Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you.” Galatians 5:1 (The Message)
I didn’t realize how strong a hold fear had on my life … until it didn’t.
I didn’t realize how I was passing those habits of fear along to my children … until they were gone.
Fear can be paralyzing. I used to be afraid of everything. Winter driving? I only “enjoyed” five months out of the year because October through April meant possible snowstorms, and snowstorms meant possible death.
I use the term “enjoy” lightly referring to the remaining five months of the year, because my fear of snowstorms was temporarily overshadowed by the threat of tornadoes, power outages and/or being struck by lightning from May through September.
It wasn’t just the weather either. My husband wanted to go away for our anniversary, to give me a break and enjoy time together like we used to before the kids were born. I would go, but I put so many rules on what was supposed to be a fun getaway, it wasn’t nearly as enjoyable as it should have been.
I am very blessed to be married to such a patient (and wise) husband who allowed God to heal my fear instead of trying to “talk me out of it.” Trust me when I say during the time fear had a grip on me, being “talked out of it” wasn’t an option.
It is safe to say fear affected every single area of my life: my marriage, my parenting, my friendships, my work, and most importantly, my relationship with God.
I wrote Spoken from the Heart: Walking in Freedom to share my journey of how God brought me out of a life of fear and into a life of trust.
Everyone’s journey to freedom will look different because each one of our circumstances are different. For me, while the prayers leading up to the healing occurred for years, the actual healing took place much quicker.
I want to encourage you, my friend. If you also struggle with fear – whether fear of one thing or fear that has taken over your life – God wants us to live in freedom.
What areas in your life are you ready to give to the One who is waiting to free you? It’s scary to take the first step … but trust me when I say “you’ll be glad you did.”
I’d love to hear from you. Hit reply to share with me.
© Cheri Swalwell 2018