FEAR V. FAITH, WHAT'S YOUR FACTOR?
A Tip from Elisabeth Elliot
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Before I launch into my topic today, FEAR V. FAITH, WHAT’S YOUR FACTOR? I want to share a bit about me. After earning my bachelor’s degree in health sciences, minor in nutrition, I obtained international childbirth and then lactation certificates. On occasion, I also taught public health classes.
The first childbirth class I taught at Salem Hospital, Salem, OR, was quite an eye-opener. Maternal ages varied from late teens to mid-thirties. Most of the pregnant women had read the handouts prior to the class. Some dads/partners had not. For first time moms, the unprepared dads/partners significantly increased the women’s level of fear regarding delivery.
During the eight-hour class, soon-to-be-moms’ anxieties began to visibly lessen as they absorbed the information presented. Preparation, participation, and practice helped pave the way to confidence. They, too, believed their child-birthing experience would be positive.
In my dual role as Childbirth Educator and Lactation Consultant, I saw most of my students again after their deliveries to help them with breastfeeding. I can’t recall a single mom without a wide grin as we talked about her birthing experience. The look of fear she wore at the beginning of our class had disappeared.
Here’s what made the difference?
Preparation (reading the material provided before needed)
Participation (asking questions, taking notes, etc.)
Practice (in this case, the breathing techniques)
And now these moms could add:
Experience - since they’d given birth, they were all experts!
Elisabeth Elliot said “fear arises when we imagine everything depends on us.”
We are so blessed to have awesome tools to help us through fear-inducing situations and circumstances in life. One of the best is the Bible.
If we apply the 3Ps, here’s what that looks like:
Preparation (studying the lives of people like Jesus, David, Rahab, Peter)
Participation (digging deeper, reading various studies about their lives)
Practice (maybe the first time you interview for a job or witness to someone goes down in flames. Remember the lives of people you studied? Not every day of their lives shined with success either!
Experience:
A little bit about the 3Ps and Experience as it relates to my life as an author:
I began writing stories at age 4 – shortly after I learned to hold a pencil.
I picked up my first love, writing stories, after retiring from the medical field.
I tied for first place in the very first contest I entered in 2018.
I’ve won several contests each year thereafter.
I’ve also lost several contests too.
I was:
Prepared
I’d:
Participated (classes, contests, critique groups, etc.)
I’d:
Practiced (I write something nearly every day; I have a weekly blog; I post on social media, i.e., FB, etc.)
Last year, I finally put faith in front of fear and queried an agent and a publisher. The first book in my series Sadie’s Gift: The Christmas Cabin will be traditionally published this fall.
I’d like to repeat what Elisabeth Elliot said once again, maybe more for my benefit than yours:
“Fear arises when we imagine everything depends on us.”
I’m grateful to Jesus, that I can heap on Him all my cares and let Him work everything out for my good and His glory. I pray you can do the same. Can you?
It's great to know that everything doesn't depend upon us, and it is such a relief. When I'm stressing out about my writing or deadlines, I try to remind myself of this. Nothing is too big for God:) And He'll walk me through it. All I have to do is keep doing my part (writing) and follow His lead.