The house is quiet today–it’s just me, the dog, Ginger, and the cat, Belle. They hang out peacefully when they are on opposite sides of the house. But once Ginger gets a whiff of the poor cat, a game of chase quickly ensues…with me following close behind shouting “No Ginger!”
The cat runs down into the basement where she hides, Ginger retreats to a nice sunny spot to sleep and the house is at peace once again.
The woman who grooms Ginger (bare with me, this pet story is going somewhere) also has two big fluffy cats. They bask in the store front window. Every time Ginger sees them, she goes wild with excitement lunging and barking at them. The cats don’t even flinch but just stare back as if the dog has gone mad. Eventually, Ginger realizes that they refuse to play chase with her and she loses interest rather quickly.
Sometimes I wish that the two groomer cats could share their secret with Belle. Instead, she lets her fear get the best of her and runs away rather than holds her ground. Perhaps if she just faced her fear one time, she would see that the very thing she thinks will happen (perhaps being hurt or worse) actually won’t happen at all.
As I watch my peaceful cat wag her tale beside me (although she is quite watchful), I think about all of the times when my fear consumes me. I react too quickly and run away at the first sign of danger when there wasn’t any in the first place. Often, the anxious feelings were triggered by a situation that happened in the past, even years before.
For example, if you get into a car crash, years later you may still feel afraid and react accordingly when the car you are riding in stops quickly. Or perhaps someone you were in a relationship with deceived you and now you are in a new relationship. You may react to a situation as if you were still in the old, unhealthy relationship, which can be quite detrimental to the new one.
I have learned a lesson from those fluffy prima donnas at the groomers; Fear doesn’t always have to lead to a rash decision or a catastrophe. The thing that is scary may not be trying to hurt me after all. Peace will be added to my life if I sit still in my fear and trust in the Lord’s guidance. Of course, sometimes fear is a justified mechanism for protection–of ourselves or someone else. The way to distinguish between the two is to ask: “does my reaction match the situation at hand or am I over-reacting to a situation that happened in the past?”
