Quicksand Fear

I read a Facebook post today from one of the authors I follow and admire,  Lisa Jo Baker, and in her post she talked about fear. She shared some of the things she was feeling fearful of--everything from her daughter's loneliness to the political unrest in DC this week. Then she said something that I could absolutely relate to:

"Fear is a quicksand that can suck you in so fast, you hardly have time to catch your breath."

Fear is a quicksand. Goodness, I don't think I've ever heard a better description of fear. 

I myself have been battling all kinds of fear lately. It is a fear-filled time to be alive in general, with so much uncertainty and unrest and grief carrying over from last year, and I feel that; on top of that, though, my anxiety has exploded in the last few weeks and brought with it a daily battle with all kinds of worries and fears. I'm afraid of my kids getting hurt, of loved ones getting upset with me, of my husband's long work trips, of unintentionally hurting people I love.... On and on it goes, until I literally can't breathe at times with the weight of it all.

Yes, quicksand is a very accurate description of what fear does. It sucks you down so fast you don't even know what hit you until it's too late and you're in over your head, flailing around for something--anything-- to grab onto. We've seen a lot of that lately, right? A lot of people desperately grabbing for whatever they can "control" because they are just terrified.

It turns out, though, that is the opposite of what we need to do in order to be freed from "quicksand fear." Lisa Jo continued on in her post:

"In my boys’ favorite travel guide 'The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook' they share this on how to escape from quicksand:

'When walking in quicksand country, carry a stout pole- it will help you get out should you need to. As soon as you start to sink, lay the pole on the surface of the quicksand.

Flop onto your back on top of the pole. Place the pole at a right angle from your spine to keep your hips afloat.'

Did you get that last point? They advise you to lie down on top of the quicksand. Not to try and run away. Not to try and pull yourself out. Not to struggle. But to surrender and be still."

There are two things I noticed in this comparison. The very first thing is that in order to deal with the fears of this life, we need a "stout pole" to help us navigate the paths in "quicksand country", and also to support us and keep us afloat should we happen to get caught up in some quicksand fear. There's only one thing--One Person--we can count on to do this for us, and I'm sure you all can guess Who it is. 

Listen to these words:

"My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus Christ, my righteousness;

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;

All other ground is sinking sand,

All other ground is sinking sand."

~Edward Mote, "On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand"

So that's first, then: make sure you have the solid support of Jesus with you at all times and are relying on Him to get you through these fearful times. There's just no way to safely get through without Him.

Next is the hard part: Surrender. Be still. 

I know that's probably the very last thing any of us feel like doing when we are afraid, right? It goes against all of our natural inclinations to give up even MORE control, to release our death grip on things and to give in to anything at all when we are drowning in fear. But that really is the only way to keep ourselves from sinking further into the muck! This means we stop striving, stop trying to "figure it out" or "prevent" or "prepare"...just rest yourself on the stable and sure support of your Savior, surrender, and be still. 

It comes down to this: do you trust that Jesus can hold you up? Even if that quicksand bubbles up deeper and thicker and worse than we ever could have thought; if all of our worst fears are realized; if things get even worse...do you believe He will be there to hold you securely above it all? 

I'm in this with you guys, slogging through some of the most intense quicksand country I've ever imagined. May we keep Jesus as our Solid Guide as we navigate this season; and should we stumble into some of the mess, may we trust our Savior enough to lean on Him, surrender, and be still.