This I Believe

I'll call this a celebrity post - the author might not exactly be a celebrity, but she is an amazing young girl. Elise was just 11 years old when a brain tumor required sudden surgery; during the operation she suffered a stroke. Now, at 16, she suffers from multiple physical setbacks, yet her faith in God has remained unwavering. She says her biggest challenge is simply fatigue because it prevents her from doing the things she loves. She speaks openly and boldly about God's love and is an inspiration to me. She wrote this essay for the international organization called This I Believe, which encourages people to write and share essays describing personal core values that guide daily life. This is what young Elise believes...

"I believe in God. That having faith in him can give you hope like no other in the world. I believe that the strength and sureness that God provides through his everlasting love are more powerful than the strongest man in the world’s muscles. God’s purity goes beyond belief and his wisdom mightier than the entire world put together. His truthfulness and forgiveness reigns throughout the universe, while his love for us pours out for us quicker and steadier than our hearts can even beat. I believe that God’s beautiful world that he has made for us to live and thrive in gives him a more creative insight than Monet, Picasso, and Da Vinci had put together.
I believe in “being still, and knowing that God is God” and I believe in “I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me” because I live and breathe these two verses every day as if they are my lifelines. Going through a major brain surgery to remove a tumor and having a stroke during that, I had to believe both of these things in order to keep going and pushing on. I believe in praising God every day for not only this, but for many other things too, such as my family’s safety and well-being, for blessing me with a house to live in, in a safe environment and community.
I know God is the one who gave me my strength to get through each and every day with my disability of only being able to use one of my arms very well and having extreme fatigue to the point where I am sometimes in tears. I believe God puts us through tough things that are most difficult in life to make us stronger.
I would have never chosen before this to undergo a traumatic brain injury or a pediatric stroke but now looking back at the past, I feel that I’m even stronger, courageous, and faithful than I ever could hope to be. I used to take my vision and the uses of the parts of my body for granted before, but now, I realize how lucky I am just to at least be able to use one of my arms and having some use of the other, and how lucky I am that even though I can’t see out of one eye and have a field cut in the other, how grateful I should be for these things that seem so simple.
When my tumor grew back, I had to undergo radiation and saw children and adults coming to get treated for cancer. I saw how most of them didn’t really seem that sad. I learned how this was because they knew that God was at their sides and wouldn’t leave them. I saw how these people were fighting a life threatening disease and were still so faithful in God."

What a perfect weekend to remember to be still and grateful, giving all the glory to God. Thanks Elise!

Fear Not

"Fear not."  It's probably the most common phrase in the Bible, usually coming from God himself or from one of His angels, and yet fear is probably the most common issue we face day-to-day.

Fear of not making enough money. Fear of the future or the unknown. Fear of pain. Fear of losing someone. Fear of pretty much everything.

Obviously, judging by the amount of times He tells us to "fear not", God doesn't want us living like this. We'll miss all He has for us when we live life cornered by fear. I think God also recognizes how much we tend to default to fear, or He wouldn't feel the need to repeat Himself, but He wants us to default to Him instead.

Around Christmas time, Baileigh memorized what the angels said to the shepherds when Jesus was born. And now at Easter, she learned what the angels said to the women at the tomb. She's gotten them a little mixed up at times because they both begin with the same "Don't be afraid." So she's come up with a blending of the two holidays,but it still works.. "Don't be afraid. I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. Jesus, who was crucified, isn't here!"

Amen! The first words of each original holiday begin with "don't be afraid" (or "fear not"). I know it's obviously because an angel has just appeared out of nowhere to them and I'm sure they were shaking in their boots. But also, with both announcements, Jesus being born and risen, it's assuring them (and us) "you don't need to live in fear anymore- and this is why."

Research shows that the emotion of fear "triggers more than 1,400 known physical and chemical responses, and activates more than 30 different hormones and neurotransmitters" (Dr. Caroline Leaf). Fear is also the root emotion behind all stress, and stress can actually marinate our bodies in toxic chemicals. Clearly, fear is even dangerous to our health. So where does this powerful, unhealthy, negative emotion of fear come from? Well I know where it does not come from..

The Bible says, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." ~2 Timothy 1:7

This verse has been playing in my head for weeks now - when I feel the fear start creeping in, I am training myself to say, "Nope, God has not created me with a spirit of fear." And then replace the fear with thoughts of power, love, and calmness. All things that God's Word and His presence are overflowing with. But fear, that is never from Him. He desires that we don't live in fear, but in Him. And only in Him do we have the power to deny fear and replace it. Even if it's every second of everyday at first.

"Fear not." It's in God's Word many, many times. But even if He only said it once, it would still be enough for me.