I was near the end of my walk. I had my head down as I trudged up one last hill counting the steps to make the task seem easier. I did not hear a sound. What happened next caught me totally by surprise.
When I looked up, a giant black lab dog had zeroed in on me at a full sprint. I had very little time to react. Trying to hide my concern, I said in a deep authoritative voice, "Hey! What are you doing?" With those words the dog stopped and started sniffing me like dogs are prone to do. I reached my hand out so he could smell it. Friendship established, I started petting and the tail started wagging. Next thing I knew, the stop reared up on his hind legs putting his large paws on my chest. Did I mention he was a large dog?
Soon a teenaged boy came riding up on his bike apologizing. I learned the dog's name was Shadow. It fit his black velvet like fur. Even though Shadow looked intimidating, he turned out to be loving and friendly. There was no reason to fear. No reason to be anxious.
As I pondered that scene on the last jaunt of my journey home, it become clear. We grow anxious and fear so many things in life. We are even prone to worry about and fear things that do not even happen. Shadow had no ill will toward me. Like a curious oversized puppy, he just wanted to make a new friend.
It saddens me how many people live in private prisons of fear and anxiety. This is certainly the case with the Corona Virus pandemic. It is one thing to be wise and cautious using good sense to protect yourself and loved ones. It is a whole other matter to give into fear. The news media plays on the fears of people. They often overhype the severity of approaching storms to generate more viewers and keep people glued to their televisions or devices. People live in fear about the economy. They live in fear about politics. They give into terror over all the what ifs that most likely will never happen.
We are told in Matthew 6:25-33 repeatedly not to be anxious about tomorrow. Paul exhorts us in Phil 4:6 to be anxious for nothing. Not Corona Virus. Not who will sit in the Whitehouse. Not the weather. Not the what ifs. In essence, we are not to worry about anything but pray about everything. We tend to do the opposite. We worry about everything and give little prayer to the way we view and approach life.
How much energy is wasted in life worrying about little things that cast a giant shadow? How much stress in created from the toxic thoughts of fear and anxiety that never come to pass?
Shadow the dog proved not to be a menace, but actually a blessing to break up the monotony of climbing that steep hill. A sweet spirited loving dog eager to make a new friend. How many blessings do we miss out on because of fear. God did not give us a spirit of fear. II Tim 1:7
Life is filled with surprises. Some are unexpected trials. Even trials can turn out to be blessings in disguise. Other surprises are God's manifest love and favor. Admittedly, there are surprises that are unwelcomed intruders in the form of tragedy, disease and death.
Death is the worst thing that can come to any of us unexpectedly. For those who have trusted Jesus, death is not something to fear. Like one dying man told me once, "I'm not afraid to die. I know where I am going. It is just the process of getting there that troubles me." The process of dying is harder for some than others. Death itself, for a true child of God, is a promotion from this life. It is advantageous to anything we can experience here. That is why David wrote in the 23rd Psalm, "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for your rod and staff comfort me."
Death is but a shadow. A shadow producing fear in the hearts of multitudes. Death is also just a door for children of God to finally put sight to the faith they have long held. Death is a door of reunion with Jesus. It is also a reunion of loved ones who have gone on before. I plan to meet my Momma, Papaw, Mamaw, and baby sister Jamie at those pearly gates. So come on shadow of death. You do not scare me.
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