BEATING THE FEAR BULLIES

2 Timothy 1:7

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline" NLT

the voices at 3am are very convincing..we all know the voices... the ones that remind you that certain bills haven't been paid yet...because you haven't been paid yet.  They ask a lot of 'how' questions that really don't sound like questions at all..they sound more like an accusations.

For the single person, they may say stuff like "How are you going to find the right person at this age?..you're so far behind the timeline you laid out...even if you do get married, by the time you do, you'll be to old to start having kids!"

For the CEO the may say stuff like "how much longer do you think you can hide the fact that you really have no clue what you're doing much less how to lead a company with this many people's livelihood at stake?!...Somebody's eventually gonna find you out!"

Those voices sound suspiciously like bullies.  They are loud and intimidating.  They get right up in your face and the only thing you can see is their accusing eyes and all you can hear is the horrible sound of their voice.

But maybe there's a reason that the bully needs to get up in our face.  Our God is so great, so vast, so strong, and so easily seen in all that He has made that the only way the bully can possibly block our view is it get right up in our face so that he is the only thing we can see and hear.

As a guy who often gets to lead, write, and sing songs that talk about the greatness, the vastness, and the strength of our God, I have come to a new insight to what those songs can do on Sunday and throughout the week.  Those songs are a way to push the bully's face away (like you'd do to a little brother when he tries to get up in your face) and lift our eyes to see just how big our God is.  Those songs give us something to sing so loudly that it drowns out the voice of the accuser.  Worship in song is a chance to let God define our circumstance instead of letting our circumstances define us.  Worship is a chance to see the angel army that has surrounded the tiny fear army that has surrounded us.  In our worship, we get to look around the bully and see the Sovereign God who is unchanging and whose goodness will remain long after the voice of fear and all of our terrifying circumstances fade away.

Look up, see Him, sing out, and fear no more.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO FODIE

It's been a little over a month since our newly adopted daughter has been home.  It has been one of the most challenging transitions we've ever made but it is also one of the most rewarding.   But even before Fodie arrived in America, God was already showing me the implications of His love demonstrated in the Gospel...what it means to be adopted and what it means to be called a co-heirs with Christ.

In our process of trying to get Fodie out of Sierra Leone, Africa, where Ebola is running rampant and killing thousands, there was a moment where we were afraid that Fodie's flight would be cancelled.  I knew that if her flight got cancelled that there was a good chance that all flights would be cancelled indefinitely because they would close the border to try to contain the Ebola virus (and they did close the border two days after Fodie arrived home).  In that moment, I realized that, since Fodie was now legally my daughter, I needed to do for her whatever I would do for my biological daughter.  In that context, I realized that, whether by flying to a neighboring country and driving in and out to get her or walking in or whatever, I would get my daughter home no matter what it took.  Even if I risked getting Ebola myself, I would get her out because she was now mine.  Her flight didn't get cancelled and she made it out, but I was ready to do whatever.  That is what God risked when He sent Jesus to earth.  That is the Gospel.

Now that Fodie is with us, Jenna and I have four children.  In other words, four different orthodontist bills, four different doctor bills, four different sets of clothes, two hotel rooms instead of one when we go on vacation now, four very used vehicles (or one very used vehicle to be handed down as each child turns sixteen...sorry kids),  four college tuitions, and someday, four people to share whatever resources we leave behind.

Now that Fodie is with us I am falling in love with her more everyday, but before I ever had any feelings (and even when the feelings I have aren't full of love) I had already legally made her mine and made the choice to give her every right and privilege that my other three children have.  This is the Gospel that God has made us co-heirs through and with Christ.

I knew that Fodie's transition into our family would be very difficult.  After being with her in Africa for a week in our adoption process, I knew that Fodie would try to make it very hard for us to love her because that was the only way she knew how to protect her fragile little heart that had already been wounded and disappointed so many times.  But Jenna and I chose to love her.  Not based on anything she had done to deserve our love but based on our choice...and we choose to love her even when she does everything in her power to defy our love.  We didn't and don't just choose to take her in, meet her needs, and tolerate her.  We chose and choose to love her even on those days where it would be easier to stay detached and guarded so that her rejection of our love doesn't hurt so much.  That is the Gospel.  It is the choice that God has made and makes daily to not just keep His promise of salvation and His covenant of provision, but to Love us.  To truly love us just like He loves Jesus....Just. Like. He. Loves. Jesus.

(picture by Sarah Bridgeman, @sarahjbridgeman)