Tempted by F E A R

There are a lot of hurting people in this world.

Talk about h e a r t b r e a k i n g.

I went and saw the movie, “The Desolation of Smaug,” as a fun time out of the house this weekend. I sat there with my Red Vines in hand, admiring the grandiosity of such a giant screen (yes, it still gets me every time although I’ve seen a thousand movies) I was so excited to see this movie….. Only when I got there, my stomach turned upside-down.

Images of young, innocent people flashed through my mind that have been on the news. Names raced through my mind of people who were victims of the multiple shootings at schools, theaters, and other public places. So many innocent lives taken….. all for what? I thought- what if it was me? What if it was my family that fell victim to these events?

What would I do?

Panic set in. The kind of clammy hands, frog in my throat, flight or fight mode.

I sat there and forced myself to change my thought process. I had to actively remind myself that I was safe. I wanted to leave more than anything. My Red Vines became dead weight in my hand, and the giant screen became daunting and unnerving. I wanted to run away and stay in my safe home, without the threats of some stranger. And I thought, how many people are thinking this same thing? How many people feel uneasy outside of their home because of all the events that have transpired lately?

It’s not fair. It’s a wicked world, at times. But I stayed. I watched the movie and enjoyed every minute of it, and I’m here to write about it. <-- That shouldn’t be something anyone has to say, as if I am some war hero that survived two tours and lives to tell the story.

But I’m not..

I just survived a movie..

And the sad thing is, recently, some people don’t.

 A movie, a school, a church, a home…. all places that should be safe. It breaks my heart what these tragedies are instilling in people.

But despite the fear that sets in, we have to trust in the Lord to provide safety and security. Being still and trusting in the Lord is not being “complacent.” I (way too often) confuse these two concepts. Being still and trusting in the Lord doesn’t mean you aren’t taking action and doing what you need to do. It’s trusting that God’s plan is right. Trusting that God is the ultimate judge, that God is here through every crossroad, every challenge we may face. So when we are tempted to stay in our homes, tempted to live in fear, remember, “¹³ No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)

I WILL NOT let the 'shooters' get satisfaction. I won't live in a world dictated by fear. I won't be scared to go to a movie... I won't put someone on a pedestal and honor what they have done, when it was wrong. I will hold my God higher, and higher... instead of putting the "shooter" into a fame category and letting them dictate my thoughts.

You decide who gets the media attention, the shooter && the fear- or the POWER of our God to bring us THROUGH these events.

My God is standing front row center with every soldier on the front lines....

 

My God is also sitting front row center in every movie.

 

 

 

 

 

We're all fools in love..

I love LOVE. I love the unconditional love given to us by our God, I love romantic love, I love sisterly and brotherly love, I love the love of parents, I love the love of a hobby, the love of sweets, the love of writing, memories, pictures, and the list goes on for ages….

As I was talking to someone who has lived a full life, told by the laughter wrinkles on the sides of her emerald green eyes, I realized the heart break she had experienced, the number of times she has broken someone’s heart and had hers broken, and all the depths of the emotion told by the way her eyes brightened when she talks about her children, the way they diverted from mine when she was ashamed of her failed relationships, and the way even today- her emotions reflect my own, at just 22 years old.

We’re all the same in love. We’re all equal; we are all fools in love. It doesn’t matter if you have been through three divorces, or if someone is your first, we are all stripped of every learning experience, knowledge of past events, and thrown into a chemical and emotional madness of what we call, LOVE.

 

You see, it doesn’t matter if you “know the drill,” once you enter into any act of love; your heart is made new. You are just as vulnerable, if not more, than someone who has never known love. You are stripped of your pride and every relationship faux pas will probably come up. It is inevitable to make mistakes, to even make many of the same mistakes you have made before; we are all made fools in love. We overthink, cry, stay on cloud nine, give too much.. We let love consume us, and despite the fact that my heart is hurting, I say, let it.

Be vulnerable to love. Give too much. Overuse “I love you.” Take pictures of every moment.

L O V E  hard, love with all of you.

Yes, I know it will hurt THAT much more at the end, or when time proves itself and you lose a loved one.

But we aren’t sent here to experience unconditional love. We CAME from unconditional love, and are called BACK to unconditional love. We are here on Earth experiencing mad love, crazy love, messy love, broken love, whole love, personal love.. We will mess up, we will go through life and whether we are 15 wide-eyed and innocent, or 98 and wise, we are all made to be fools in love; fabulously foolish and brilliantly flawed.

So take time to love today; don’t hold back.

 

 

With Love,

PhotoSoul Sarah.