Last night was a VERY long night! My daughter came in a few minutes after I climbed into bed saying that a spider bit her leg. How do you know it was a spider… was my first question…to which she replied…I felt it crawling on my leg and now I have a bump and it itches and hurts. 
Well you know the last time I questioned her we had to remove a bat from her room and she needed a whole series of shots which made me hesitant to argue with her.
I talked her through it and told her she needed to get back to bed which freaked her out… so daddy went in and searched her room hoping to settle her down. At 1:30 in the morning she was beyond exhausted and still had an all too clear recollection of the bat incident…there was no calming her and she was completely gripped with fear! She’s usually pretty easy going but this ordeal was not going to turn out well and I felt like I was dealing with the evil twin of the girl I know and love.
Obviously she wasn’t herself because fear had gotten the better of her. We can all recall a time when we were faced with a similar situation. It could be a thump in the middle of the night that leads you to believe someone is in the house or maybe an emergency arises that you are clearly trained to handle but then you freeze. About 20+ years ago I heard a noise outside my apartment window…when I looked out there was someone staring back at me with a metal pipe in his hand. When I realized what was happening I was too terrified to call 911 even though it was obviously the logical thing to do.
These are instances where extreme circumstances come into play…but what about the fears and worries we face daily? Will I find a job…will I lose my job…how can I protect my kids…does my husband/wife still love me…am I a good mother/father…is there a God/where is He…when/how will I die? 
These are things than can completely turn an ordinary person into a raving lunatic and we don’t have any control over when they strike. One of my biggest fears at this time is that I need to go outside of the home for work. I’ve been a work from home mom for about 13 years and the thought of leaving home/husband/kids to go find and work a job is overwhelming. I know it can be done (the majority of families today do it) though it doesn’t make it any easier to handle and how will I have time to write?
Deuteronomy 31:8 The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Last night while my normally ‘logical’ daughter acted completely ‘illogical’ over her fear of this ‘spider’ I had an urge to go lock her in the closet so I could sleep (J/K)…but it did make me realize that fear is not a rational emotion. It’s just like my fear of going back out into the real world…people do it all the time but it still rattles me to the deepest part of my being. 
I know everything is going to be fine and whatever path God wants me to go down will be revealed in His time…until then I’ll just sleep with one eye open and pray I don’t feel anything crawling on my leg…
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I’m reminded of a line in Star Wars. “Fear will keep the locals in line.”
With all that’s going on in the world, I really pray and wish that people would stop the fear mongering. Great post!
Perhaps you would like to read my blog http://www.danceswithklingons.wordpress.com and search for the post “A Vision of the World”.
Another relevant and superbly written topic brought home to every
day life!
Bridget,
As I read about your fear of going out into the “great big world of work” it struck me that God is going to get you published just in tome to avoid it! I will continue to pray that you get an acceptance letter soon.
Marcia
Amen
Thanks!
Well written little one. Now get over your fear and pray Obama dosen’t pass the Health Care package because I will be the first one, FIRST ONE mind you, that will be refused health care and I will die. Now that is a real fear!
xoxo
Mom
PS Anyone wonder where she gets all this from???? hmmmm
Oh Bridget…you are such a talent! I love your site and love reading your posts. So glad to have you as a friend.
Hugs
The feeling is mutual…thank you Sarah!
You have the most exciting creature-in-the-night stories!
Fear grips us all… it’s replacing fear with faith that’s the key!
Great post, Bridget.
Fear can be a good thing. I was more than a bit relieved that my young daughter had a healthy fear of strange dogs. Fear serves to protect. But irrational fear can be a road block to pursuing all God has in store for us. Courage is not lack of fear. It is staying the course despite our fears. Good post, Bridget.
Fear can stop us from doing what needs to be done or staying and hearing a sermon, as I am sure you remember:)
We just have to remember to walk through the door he opens for us even if it takes 3 times for it to be opened….lol.
So as we know I can understand Jillian’s fear, and I also understand the Mom perspective of “oh you have got to be kidding we all want to go to sleep”.
and then of course the fear of change, we all like the status quo and doing something different scares us all, job seeking has got to be one of the most “scariest” things to do, especially when you haven’t done it in years, I was lucky that Staci offered me a job when I was looking 10 years ago so it was a more comfortable setting for an interview, but God put me in a place I needed to be as I am sure he will provide an opportunity for you too Bridget
There’s a thin line between healthy fear and irrational fear, at least in my experience. It’s easy to let it grip you so tight that you won’t allow yourself to move, and it’s hard to see what so much of fear really is: a very big shadow cast by a very small thing.
Great post, Bridget!