Headed
Home
By Brita Crouse
“I have told
you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have
trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33 (NIV)
Confession: I have an irrational
fear of frogs. Something traumatic with these animals must have happened to me
in my childhood to evoke the reaction I have as an adult whenever I see one.
Fear cripples me, anxiety overwhelms me, and irrationality makes me do things I
normally wouldn’t do to escape the glassy-eyed gaze of one of those lumpy
creatures. I know it is ludicrous to be afraid of something so harmless, but I
can’t help it... frogs scare me!
I live off of a winding country road
that runs parallel to a wide river. On this road, there is an abundance of
wildlife, which is great for hunters and fishermen, but unfortunate for me.
Whenever there is humidity or rain, the amphibians migrate toward the river,
and to reach their destination, they have to cross the road I take to get home.
Driving on this road in these
conditions, for me, is like going through the gauntlet. Frogs hop wildly in
armies, trying to avoid my car, while I, with a white-knuckled grip on the
steering wheel, do a terrible job of trying to dodge them. But, this is what I
have to do if I want to get home.
While this experience is harrowing
for me, it makes for a good life lesson. We are all traveling on this winding
road of life, headed toward a final destination. Sometimes challenges or fears
will jump out at us and we can either dodge them or “run them over.” Dodging
our fears won’t make them disappear; they will just keep jumping in our
path.
If we face life’s challenges head
on, we are promised we will not be doing it alone. Jesus doesn’t guarantee an
easy life for those who follow Him, but He does guarantee to be with us always,
even when we find ourselves paralyzed by our fears.
After driving down a road full of
one of my greatest fears, I always feel a huge sense of accomplishment and
relief once I finally make it home. As Christians, I think we will also feel
these things once we make it to our eternal home in Heaven.
While we are on earth, many fears
will jump at us, but if we “run over our fears,” trusting that Jesus is always
with us, we will have a much easier time traveling down the winding path of
life as we head Home.
GOING DEEPER:
1.
What fears do you need to “run over?”
2.
This week make 2 Timothy 4:7 your prayer.
FURTHER READING:
Brita is
currently working toward her Master’s in Counseling at the University of
Minnesota-Twin Cities. She has called Oakwood her home church for the past
seventeen years.
