Don't Be Afraid...

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

(Matthew 10:28-31, NIV)

Fear.

It can stop us cold in our tracks and, if we let it, it can consume our every waking thoughts. Fear can paralyze even the best and bravest of us, given the right situation. We all like to think that we would be brave and strong in every situation, but in reality, I think we're all scared of something, right?

Let me be the first to admit I'm a little scared of my health. I know kidney failure is treatable, so I need to be thankful for that, but when I research all that comes along with it, sometimes it's overwhelming. Thankfully, I've got verses like this to help remind me that God is in control, and that He has a plan for me and my health. If He heals me, I've got more time to reach people for His glory. If He takes me home, then I'm with Him. Really, if you look at it that way, how can I lose? I know God values me, my life, and my health, and I know that whatever happens to me my heart and soul will always be with Him.

So, instead of choosing to live in fear, I think I'll just live by the words Jim Valvano shared in his unforgettable speech in 1993:

When people say to me how do you get through life or each day, it's the same thing. To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. Number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special.

Cancer can take away all my physical abilities. It cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart and it cannot touch my soul. And those three things are going to carry on forever.

Here's hoping you stop living in fear today.



Here's Jim's full speech if you want to see it....it gives me goosebumps every time I listen...