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"Breathe Tim...just breathe."

 

Over and over and over again I repeated this to myself last week. Why? Because I suddenly found myself facing a rather serious issue, (at least I THOUGHT it was at the time), and I didn't know what I was going to do. 

 

I was genuinely scared, the situation just came out of left field and left me staggering mentally, trying to adjust to what seemed like a whole new set of circumstances...on the fly!

 

How do I deal with this? What do I do now

 

Questions flowed like sparks off a piece of flint, each one striking up new questions...illuminating new fears. 

 

As I received the text message that brought this issue to my doorstep, I was already on the phone with a brother...a brother I speak to nearly every single day. He's a driver like me, so we just chat throughout our day...checking to see if we will intersect paths at any point. 😅

 

As we were both parked, (different cities, both of us at a gas station), he heard the ding of the text message as it appeared on my phone. He heard me pause as I read it, then asked what was wrong as I let out an audible gasp.

 

After explaining, I quickly let him go and dealt with the situation, finding out after a few minutes that it wasn't as bad as I feared.

 

In the meantime, this brother shot me a quick text with just a single scripture...and that verse is what prompted me to sit down and write this morning.

 

My friends, those few minutes were scary! How strange that something as simple as your perception of a situation can bring forth very real fear!

 

I mean it...my heart was pounding...it was like I wasn't even in my work van in those moments, I was somewhere else; just lost in this sudden fear about something that turned out to be not anywhere near as bad I thought it would be.

 

Have you ever been there?

 

What was the verse, you're probably asking?

 

Isaiah 41:10: "Do not be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be anxious, for I am your God. I will fortify you, yes, I will help you, I will really hold on to you with my right hand of righteousness.’

 

Familiar enough? Yes, but once I was home, I really meditated on why this brother picked that verse, a verse I know very well. Why? Was Jehovah trying to tell me something? Maybe I don't know it as well as I thought.

 

So I sat down and picked the verse apart, Hebrew word by Hebrew word...and realized exactly what Jehovah was trying to tell me, (I hope).

 

The Hebrew word for “be afraid” here is יָרֵא (yareʼ). Most times we have that verse explained to us...it's known as “fear,” but in Hebrew it carries a much deeper, much richer picture: It's the sudden tightening in the chest when danger looms, the instinct to shrink back. It’s not just mental worry, it’s the body’s reflex to retreat!

 

But how on earth am I supposed to stop that?? By it's very definition, it's NATURAL HUMAN BEHAVIOR!! 

 

Then I looked at the Hebrew grammar for that word, and suddenly it hit me: It's in the IMPERFECT form!

 

Why does that matter? What does that even mean??

 

Here's what it DOESN'T mean: Jehovah isn't saying, "Don't feel this!", like it was some sort of divine command.

 

Here's what it DOES mean: "Please, stop letting this keep happening to you." 

 

What's the difference?

 

It's active...Jehovah is stepping straight into that moment where your heart starts pounding; he's reaching out, putting his hand on your shoulder while the fear is beginning to clench your heart. It's as if he's already whispering in your ear, "Shhh! It's okay, just breathe. I'm here now, it's okay...I've got you, just release it and let me handle it from here."

 

So please, please hear Jehovah's love for each of you in the following statement: "This morning, if your chest feels tight from the week’s weight, remember, he's not asking you to be fearless in "theory". He can and will quite literally interrupt the fear mid-beat. He's here, now unclench your fists, stand tall, and keep moving. You’ve already made it this far with Him at your side...just let him lead you a little further...it's just a little further now!"

 

I know Jehovah helped me then...I just wish I would have stopped myself in the middle of that fear driven "panic attack" and read that scripture...I mean actually turned in my Bible and re-read the verse, allowing my eyes to trace the words and put them into my heart...because it was only AFTER I physically reread and meditated on it that I was able to finally answer my own question...How Do I Stop?

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