Sometimes in life, we turn around and realize that we are up against something bigger than ourselves........

more than we can handle.

Terrifying.

Sometimes this very "thing" can get the best of us,

causing us to back down and run the other way.

But many times, the very thing we fear, has no power over us.

Like this dog Dash faced recently,

we realize that what we're facing isn't even real.

We didn't really give Dash long enough to realize that he was up against a stuffed animal.

Dash growled and definitely was terrified,

so we picked him up and didn't force him to come to grips with the "fakeness" of his so-called enemy.

Putting Dash through the trauma of becoming comfortable in the presence of a gigantic stuffed dog didn't seem necessary in order for him to move on to the next phase of his puppy life, but I do believe that sometimes God calls us to face our gigantic stuffed dogs "head on," so we can learn to overcome them.

Lately I've sensed God placing me in situations where I've been forced to face some of these very kinds of fears in my own life.

Fears of rejection, not being enough, not knowing enough, not pleasing the people I love, not being accepted...........

Deep down I know that these very things I fear are as unreal and meaningless as the stuffed dog above, because God doesn't measure me through the world's standards.

If I am pleasing God....

If I am accepted by God.....

If I know God has a plan for my life.......

then I should be able to face all of my unrealistic fears with a smile and with the confidence that comes from knowing Him.

The devil loves to slow me down by placing huge, stuffed dogs along my path.

I love the days when I see them for what they are,

and

I hate the days when, like Dash, I am caught off guard and find myself trembling.

If you're facing some fears this week,

remember these truths:

Pleasing God is all that matters.

Being accepted by Him should be our goal.

He has a plan for our lives that is very personal and purposeful.

Lean on Him today.

When I am afraid,
I will trust in you.
In God, whose Word I praise.

In God, I will trust.

I will not be afraid.

What can mortal man do to me?

Psalm 56:3-4