..is fear itself.
Romans 8:15 (New American Standard Bible)
15For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!"
Have you ever seen Warm Springs, the HBO movie about the life of Franklin Delano Roosevelt? It addresses his struggle with polio and his efforts to overcome paralysis. It shows the generosity of his spirit as he uses his resources to help others with polio and also portrays his growth through his own fears as he faces his future after realizing he will not walk again as he hoped.
FDR fooled the public by not appearing in his wheelchair, by using metal braces and other devices to appear as if he could stand and walk, but his legs did not heal. He was able to accomplish what he did in his political career by overcoming his fear.
That is true for many of us. God may not remove the physical, mental or emotional difficulty we are experiencing, but through our relationship with GOd as his children, we can overcome our fears.
This isn't to say we won't ever be afraid. Of course we will and it's wrong of us to judge ourselves too harshly. But we can remember, when times are the hardest, that our future with God is all set. No matter what lies ahead of us - illness, treatments, facing that there are no treatments to help us, disability, financial problems, relationship issues - there is no problem that is too big for us when we remind ourselves that God is our father.
2 comments:
hi Ruth, thanks for posting this and the terminal illness stuff so quickly.
Tom
Warm Springs is a really good movie. It shows the human side of someone who goes through paralysis. I hate the heroic reaction some movies show. FDR like everyone else went through despair and grief before he came out on the other side. Nice post.
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