WEDNESDAY'S WORD - IRRATIONAL - 10/23/19 Sadell Bradley

   

"Rational anxiety is when you're aware of the source of your anxiety. Like, if I have to host an award show or talk to millions of people on the radio, I'm going to feel anxious, and I know why. Irrational anxiety is when I'm leaving CVS, and there's a car behind me, and I'm wondering if he's following me home."  -Charlamagne Tha god - American Radio Personality  

 

Last year, Sherman and I visited Oakland, CA to see the Warriors play the Lakers. We didn't know how close San Francisco is to Oakland. When we found out, we took an excursion over the

	Nob Hill

Bay Bridge. I'm not a fan of bridges or heights, though I fly all the time. And... we kept getting lost on and off the exit to the bridge and had to go over it multiple times. I thought, "The LORD is proving me to rid me of my fear."  If you've been to San Francisco, you know there are steep and winding hills; the most notable of which is Nob Hill on which their infamous Trolleys ascend and descend. I was too chicken to go up and down the hills in the car. Thank the LORD it wasn't necessary for us to get around. So when I had to go back to San Francisco for work, my first question was, "Is my hotel gonna be on one of those hills?" My host said, "Those hills are supposed to be inspiring!" Inspiring, or terrifying?

 

Many would say my fear was not IRRATIONAL- meaning not logical or reasonable. I mean, look at that hill! But the anxiety I felt prior to getting on the plane was palpable as I braced myself for the worst...that never happened. My hotel was not even on a hill. My fear, however, had ascended to disturbing heights - to the point that I dreaded the trip. Huffington Post said that 85% of what we fear never happens, yet irrational fears stall our dreams, hinder our relationships, and postpone our callings. How many times have you not made a move because of fear? Jesus said that one of the signs of His return would be, "men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken." (Luke 21:26) It makes me wonder how many health conditions are a result of the underlying fear of the present or the future.    

 

"I sought the LORD and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears." (Psalm 34:4) Sometimes the only way to challenge an irrational fear is to face it head-on. So as soon as I got to my hotel, I headed straight to Nob Hill and got on the trolley. I'm not a great photo taker but here's a photo. None of it was nearly as traumatic as my fears had been, in fact, it was rather calming. The sight (not faith) and fear of heights I was walking in did not serve me well. Metaphorically, I've often felt similar anxieties about certain aspects of ascending to heights in my life and calling. It's time to face those head-on too.