FEAR NOT for GOD is always close to you.

"...Why are you afraid, O men of little faith?" -Matthew 8:26

"I have so many fears, Doctor," said the college-age woman to her therapist. She continued, "I listen to the news and hear about crimes, violence, hatred and war, and the whole thing gets my stomache in knots! I am anxious when I leave the house, a nervous wreck driving my car, I constantly worry about what diseases I might have, and I feel insecure about what the future holds.
"

The therapist nodded his head knowingly, and after jotting a few sentences in his notebook, replied, "Is this how you want to live your life, in fear?"

"Of course not," snapped the young woman as she cleared her throat in indignation."Then why are you chosing to invite fear into your life," he asked.

"Invite?" shouted the woman, "I never asked for it to be a dominant force in my life. It just IS, and I have no control over it!"

The psychiatrist smiled and stated, "You may not be fully aware of it, but we all have control over what thoughts we allow to remain in our mind. Your fear may start off as a sudden thought, but the longer that fear-thought remains, the greater risk you have of it starting to affect you physically and emotionally.

Before you know it, you start to feel anxious, then your belly gets knotted, and, well, you know the rest of the story."The young woman let out a sigh.The therapist continued, "Our brain is a wonderful and complex organ.

While it is great to use our intellect, it is important to not be so creative of mind that we scare ourselves to bits by imagining all sorts of mostly unrealistic and frightening scenarios or maladies." He continued, "I notice you wear a cross."

"Yes," said the young lady as she tightly grasped her necklace, "My faith in God is very important to me."

"So, because you have faith in God, I guess that means you trust Him, correct?"
replied the therapist as he fiddled with the pen in his hand.

"Well, yes," said the woman quietly.

"Good!" said the therapist gleefully.

"Then next time you are feeling fearful, remember that faith, and trust God."