Do not be overcome by fear and anxiety, Trust in Jesus

Be controlled by your fears or control your fears

There is a legend which says that there was a mouse who was very afraid of cats. She wished she could become a cat, her wish came true and she turned into a cat. Then she saw a dog and became afraid again and wished she were a dog. Her wish was granted and she turned into a dog. Then she saw a lion and she was terrified by his power and strength and wished she could become a lion so that she would not have to be terrified of the lion. Her wish was granted and she became a lion. Then she saw a man with a gun about to shoot her with his gun. You can imagine what happened next. She wished she could become a human and she did. But when she was sitting in her house she saw a mouse and she was scared of the mouse. The little mouse frightened her. To break the cycle of fear turn to Jesus.

Openess

For years, a mother duck led her new family of ducklings to the same pond. It was a place of safety and beauty. However, one year she found it dry and empty. Nothing remained but dried mud.

Yet she persisted in bringing her babies down to the pond, where she would walk about with flapping wings, anxiously quacking and trying to get her brood to enter.

The ducklings, however, with their fresh instincts, heard the far-off rippling of the water in a new dam being built farther upstream. The little ducklings refused to enter the dried mudhole. Instead, they left their mother quacking beside her empty pond and set out to find new water.

The mother duck had a closed mind. She could not accept the reality that the water was gone. She chose not to live in the real world so she remained in her little world because it was familiar.

Like the little ducklings, we must remain open to a new future, open to new ideas, open to others, open to learning new things--no matter what our age and experience. To do so is to maintain a childlike faith in God.

Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there was one only.
This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from anguish,
sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints,
so I said to the Lord,
“You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life
there has only been one set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”
The Lord replied,
“The years when you have seen only one set of footprints,
my child, is when I carried you.”