Do not fear ...

Originally posted on the blog "Honest Investigations" on the 1st November 2010


My reading is today is called 'Hope', but it then discusses fear and faith. So I think I'm going to go off on a tangent too.

The Bible verse today is from Genesis 26:24: Do not fear, for I am with you. What do you fear?

Lack of finances? Loss of loved ones? Loss of property? Violence? Burglary? Death? Reducing investments?

Let me tell you something: nothing is secure anymore - at least, not on this planet.

Now there's a thought. So what to do. Do you feel like you're sitting on the edge of a jetty with Jesus next to you, and Jesus is telling you to stand up on the water and walk across to the other side with him? How does that make you feel? Oh, but remember, Jesus walks on water! Surely you can trust him? After all, he's right beside you.

The Bible teaches us, from start to finish, that there is one person and one person only on whom we can depend, and that person is Jesus. If we place our lives and our trust in him, he will not let us down, ever. We are also taught that it is better to store up treasure in heaven than here on earth, for we will lose what we store up here, but what is in heaven will last forever. Where do you want your treasure to be?

It is a challenge, for sure, to take one's eyes off this world and look towards a place we cannot see. That is, if one believes that one should last forever. But if we honestly search our hearts, we will know that deep down, there is a desire to never die. In Christ alone, that desire is reality.

Do you have respect .....

... for nature?

There are two things (apart from the internet and reading) that can make me lose time: streams, and waves. A bubbling brook is a great soother, but I have to say, I just love waves. And the rockier the coastline, the better!

I always challenge myself, especially when seeing waves crashing over rocks like in the photo at left, to take a photo when the splash is at its highest point - and preferable above the horizon! As was the case with this photograph. Many many waves crashed over these rocks at Hermanus, South Africa, before I caught this moment. And I'm not ashamed to say that it is one of my best wave-splash photos ever.

Further than this though, the sea itself fascinates me. Probably because it's so vast, unknowable and dangerous. I've read many books about people who have, for example, sailed around the world. I'd LOVE to do that myself ... except for one thing. I have a built-in wariness of drowning. For me, that would be the most horrible way to die. So much so, it took years before I watched the movie Titanic - mostly because I had seen White Squall previously - I can't bear ships sinking either - although at the same time this scenario (all to real) also holds a morbid fascination.

'Fear' would probably be a better term to use than 'fascination' ... and is probably more correct. Although I dislike admitting to fear, as for me, that is something that I have been taught to not do. Perhaps a better way of putting it is 'strong sense of self-preservation' - which certainly kicks in when it comes to things of the sea. Flight would definitely take place!

Either rate, I will now go and enjoy the water that is falling from the sky ... at least that is currently a safe option :-)

Does insecurity stifle creativity?

So it appears that there is yet another dimension of the human psyche, another stage of the process. While some of us succeed in being creative, but then shy away from allowing others to view it, others fail to even create something because of insecurity, fear of being judged, fear of criticism, and so on. I can well imagine that yet others create something, and then destroy it so that no-one may see that aspect of themselves.

What I'm learning from this, which encourages me, is that none of us is alone in our insecurity and lack of self-confidence. From appearances, we all feel the same way about our creative pursuits, and perhaps it's time to recognise this in ourselves - and in those around us. Time to be more sensitive to other's attempts at creativity, for we can only do as much as we know, and we all improve with time and practice.

If you have experienced this fear, or know someone whose creativity is prevented because of their lack of self-confidence, I'd love to hear from you - even if you just put your hand up and say 'Aye'.

Lost works ...

Following on from my discussion of the link between creativity and insecurity, a friend made the following observation on my Facebook page, The Reluctant Author: "I wonder how many works of art, great or otherwise, have been lost to fragile self-confidence." This led yet another friend to mention an acquaintance of hers who has stories to tell and who writes very well, but perhaps lacks the self-confidence to put the stories onto paper.

It led me to think of some of the great artists of all time - van Gogh, Monet, Rembrandt, among others; a Dr Who episode from the last series showed the Doctor and Amy visiting a very insecure van Gogh who hated his work, and those around him laughed at him. This may not be entirely accurate, though it is known that he suffered from anxiety and mental illness, but one shudders to think what works could have been lost if these men were insecure and lacked confidence in their artistic abilities.

Consider too of some of the great thinkers and inventors; Albert Einstein, Galileo Galilei and Leonardo da Vinci among others. What if they had balked at writing down and studying what they did ... we would have lost access to some of the greatest thinkers and scientists of all time. But yet again, how many others failed where they succeeded and pressed on - sometimes despite opposition.

Just thinking (and writing) about it nearly doesn't do justice to the enormity of what could have been lost ... but how much else has been, and continues to be, lost?

Down in the depths ...

I have to be honest, I'm dreading the coming months. Where did my joy in the seasons disappear to?

I have now weathered five northern (read British) winters. Being South African, and growing up where I did (near the coast), I only ever saw snow that was far away on the mountain-tops. And also, it was only really cold for 3-5 months of the year - not the nine or so that one gets here in the UK. The changes in the seasons fascinate me - because they are so clear here in the Northern Hemisphere. One didn't really sense them so well down south. But besides all that, I have always loved each winter - snow, frost and all ... till the last one. So what changed?

You see, last November I got depressed. Summer-time just seemed to be sooooooo far away. Between where I was standing and summer were many months of freezing cold (and as it turned out, more snow than I'd seen in my life to date, which was great!). So, it got me down.

Don't get me wrong. I LOVE winter. I love all that it stands for. Christmas time (ok, in this hemisphere only), snow, freezing fog, LOOOONG nights ... I love it - and I'm not just trying to convince myself of that, I honestly do.

What I fear is the depression. I don't want to feel like that again this year.

Are you scared?

There is not a hint of one person who was afraid to draw near him [Jesus]. There were those who mocked him. There were those who were envious of him. There were those who misunderstood him. There were those who revered him. But there was not one person who considered him too holy, too divine, or too celestial to touch. There was not one person who was reluctant to approach him for fear of being rejected.

     -- Max Lucado

Makes one think, doesn't it!