Today on the way to New Bern, we had a divine appointment for a lesson on gratitude. We were traveling down a two-way street on a bridge and had and cars behind us. Directly in front of us was a large object. Our only option was to head straight for it and reap the consequences. Our car dragged the said block of metal several yards down the road before we found a safe place to pull over. As the screeches ensued and the smoke billowed, all I could think of was how much fear I had. Fear the oil would spill out and the car would go ablaze. Fear that a tire would pop and we would spin out of control towards the bridge. Fear that someone would rear-end us, as we tried to gain control of the vehicle. Hey, I never said my fears were rational! Finally, as we got to a stop, we got out of the car to determine next steps. A few cars behind us was an AC and heating work truck. As they drove up, we waved for them to pull over and help. They pulled over and jacked the car up to have a look at the mysterious metal piece. God must have a sense of humor because the metal hunk ended up being an AC fan motor. The guys were able to pull it out from under the car. They inspected the underside of the car to see if the car was still drivable. Much to our relief, the guys said there was no major damage to the oil pan or muffler, just some cosmetic scrapes. As the guys reported this, we had two choices: remain in fear or operate in gratitude.
As I had been preparing for this post earlier this morning, I asked God to give me the words to speak. God seems to love to put me in places where I am given the chance to learn for myself lesson He has for me. God gave me the opportunity to test out what He had placed on my heart, earlier today (my mom probably will rethink riding with next time I pray for experiential learning opportunities!) I could resist His teaching, but how thankful I am that God doesn’t ever stop pursuing me! I choose to leave behind the natural, typical reaction of fear for thoughts of gratitude. At that moment, I choose to be grateful that:
- the AC repairmen stopped to help
-the AC repairmen were knowledgeable of the part and could easily retrieve it
-no upcoming traffic rear-ended us
-our vehicle was still operational
-I serve a God who cares about my bumps in the road (literally)
As 2 Corinthians 10:5 advises, I captured the thoughts of fear and replaced them instead with thoughts of gratitude. This did two things for me: released the paralyzing grip fear had over me and retrained my mind to go to gratitude before fear.
1. Fear can paralyze us from taking action.
Fear can be a good thing, as it usually causes us to act with restraint and think clearly. However, fear can be crippling, as it can stop us from moving forward. As the car screeched to a halt, my body wanted to freeze, also. Fear wanted to be the voice that spoke into my mind that the situation was too much for me to handle. Fear is a liar. Fear does not allow my mind to be open to the thoughts and words of God. Gratitude released me from the gripping fear. As I spoke words of life to myself, fear was not allowed to close me off from moving. Max Lucado concludes, “anxiety and gratitude never share the same heart”. Putting on gratitude is more than positive self-talk. Gratitude does more than a self-help book will ever do. Gratitude transforms us from the inside out, by “the renewal of your mind” (Romans 12:2). It was never God’s intention for us to live in a state of continual fear. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control”. By speaking the words God speaks to myself, my heart will follow.
2. We must retrain our mind to choose gratitude.
Scientific studies have found that the more our brain goes to a certain emotion, the quicker the response to feeling that emotion is. Our brain creates pathways to the emotions we choose most. In a culture in which we are constantly bombarded with notifications and breaking news, it is no wonder we are frazzled and fearful. God did not overcome death, Hell, and the grave so we have to live in constant fear. Fear says we must feel unpleasant emotions because we believe something is dangerous or may cause pain (Merriam-Webster). Gratitude says we can choose thanksgiving, putting our faith in the One who has a purpose for the pain. We already know the ending, so must prefer thoughts of gratitude over thoughts of fear. Does this mean that feelings of fear are wrong and should be hidden? No, quite the opposite. Lysa TerKeurst says that feelings “should be indicators, not dictators”. In other words, I can feel the initial feeling of fear, but don’t have to stay there. When I retrain my mind to choose gratitude in the midst of fear, I don’t allow fear to order me around. Fear doesn’t get to have the final word. The beauty of the walk of a believer in Jesus is that He has done for us what will continue to bring gratitude to the heart of the believer. When all Earthly hope seems lost and fear seems to be the only appropriate response, we can choose gratitude for the Kingdom of God is near for those who believe.
If gratitude does not come natural, don’t lose hope. Gratitude is a discipline that must be practiced to gain permanence. The rewards of choosing gratitude in the presence of fear are immeasurable. For the believer, gratitude will release us to follow God’s plan and renew our mind to a spirit of power. As we make the continual choice of gratitude over fear, we are made into courageous men and women of God.
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