activated february 2012

8/3/2019 Activated February 2012

1/16

Vol 13 Is sue

change your l i fe . change your world

HIGH RISK, HIGH REWARDTaking calculated risks

The I-Ness of ShynessConquer self-consciousness

Breaking Down FearRelief is here


2/16

Vol 13, Issue 2

P E R S O N A L LY S P E A K I N G

Like lie itsel, the Bible is ull o triumphs that

could just as easily have ended in disaster. I the

heroes in those stories had turned and run the otherway, who could have blamed them? Moses defed the

world power o his day to lead his people to the Promised Land. Gideon led a

band o 300 against an army too large to number.1 Samson, armed only with

the jawbone o a donkey, took on an army singlehandedly.2 Teenaged David,

with only a slingshot, denounced and trounced the giant Goliath, who had the

entire army o Israel shaking in their sandals.3

Most o us can be thankul that we dont ace whole armies or heavily

armed giants, but we all have ears o one type or another, what-is that some-

times descend in legions or loom over us like Goliaths. Like our shoe size, they

start small and grow with us. What i I all o my bike? What i my teacherdoesnt like me? What i I dont make the team? What i I try to kiss her? What

i I dont get accepted at that school? What i I lose my job? What i this turns

out to be cancer? What i I lose the love o my lie?

We frst learn to deal with childhood ears by running to our parents or

security and reassurance. We crawl into bed with them during a thunderstorm.

We ask to be carried in the dark. We take hold o a strong hand when a

strange dog approaches. Little by little, our parents help us learn to dierenti-

ate between real and imaginary dangers, and how to conront the real ones.

God wants to do the same with our adult ears. You arent in this alone, He

assures us. Take My hand. Well make it through this together.

Keith Phillips

ForActivated

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E Keith Phillips

D Gentian Sui

P Samuel Keating

www.auroraproduction.com

2011 Aurora Production AG. All RightsReserved. Printed in Taiwan by Ji Yi Co., Lt

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise

indicated, are taken from the New King Ja

Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Ne

Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserve

Other Bible references are from the follow

sources: New International Version (NIV).

Copyright 1978, 1984 by International B

Society. Used by permission. Contempora

English Version (CEV). Copyright 1995 b

American Bible Society. Used by permissio

1. Judges 7

2. Judges 15:915

3. 1 Samuel 17:211,3251

2


3/16

Ive always loved cats and felt that I hada way with them,but I met a challenge in J.J. and

Felix. ey were a git rom my daughter-in-law. Toni had

started eeding their mother, a eral cat, shortly beore she

succumbed to the perils o street lie.

When J.J. and Felix moved in with me, they quickly

hid under beds. Our relationship began with me lying on

the oor and reaching out to them. Initially my overtures

were met with ear, but ater days o eeding them,

putting resh water in their bowl, cleaning their litter

box, and sotly calling their names, they learned to trust.Eventually they began to come to me in the evenings,

when the house was quiet, and allow me to pet them. I

elt as though I had my reward when they would nuzzle

up against me, purring. I assured them over and over that

they were sae and that I would always care or them, and

it seems they got the message.

In a way, they remind me o myselthe part o me

that holds back and hides away, always a bit shy and wary

o strangers, a little earul o completely trusting anyone,

even God. I recently did a Bible study rom the book oPsalms on the subject o trust. In psalm ater psalm, King

David expounded on his many problems, but sooner or

later he always hit on the solution: Trust the Lord. Youve

got nothing to worry about, because He will work things

out.

Josie Clark is an Activated reader and contrib-

utor in t he U.S.

T T A P A l A P l

Trusting God means giving our burdens a

worries to Him.

Cast your burden upon the Lord, and He shall

sustain you: He shall never permit the righteous be moved.Psalm 55:22

Trusting the lord frees us from fear.

Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.Psalm 5

He will not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is

steadfast, trusting in the Lord.Psalm 112:7

Trusting God gives us the utimate seurit

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most Hig

shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I wsay of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress;

my God, in Him I will trust.Psalm 91:12

Trusting puts us in ine for Gods bessing

Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

Psalm 2:12

Oh, how great is Your goodness which You hav

prepared for those who trust in You.Psalm 31:1

Learningto Trust

By Josie Clark


4/16

When you get an out-

of-the-box idea or an

opportunity arises that

would be a departure from

your normal way of doing

things, your immediate reaction

might be to play it saeto shy

away rom the idea, or to hesitate tocapitalize on the opportunity because

its new and untried and seems risky.

But i you wait too long to decide

what to do, the opportunity may

pass you by. At times like that, you

need to calculate the risk.

Its not merely a matter o being

willing to take risks, because that

can also lead to recklessness. Taking

calculated risks is about assessingpotential gains versus potential

losses, and making wise decisions

accordingly. You do sometimes need

to risk ailure or the sake o the

1. Jeremiah 29:11

2. Psalm 8 4:11; 1 John 5:1415

3. Jeremiah 33:3; James 1:5

HIGHRIS

K,

potential rewards, but generally there

should be a greater probability or

a positive outcome than a negative

one. e keys are frst to understand

the odds, and second to do whatever

you can to improve them.

Military strategy makes a good

analogy. Deensive strategy tends toplay it sae. But caution and sel-

preservation cant be an armys only

considerations. I they were, that

army would never manage to gain

new territory. Successul strategies

include taking risks, departing rom

the norm, doing the unexpected, and

seizing the moment.

Its dicult to decide to do some-

thing that involves a high degree orisk, even when there is potential or

great reward, but lie is ull o such

situations. Here are a ew points

to keep in mind the next time one

comes your way:

Assess the time factor.Few windows o opportunity stay

open permanently. Sometimes the

choice to pursue or not to pursue

certain opportunity must be made

rather quickly, but dont allow

yoursel to be pressured into a has

ill-advised decision.

Study the situation. orougand objectively consider the pros

and cons, and calculate the odds success as best you can. en try

to determine what you can do to

improve those odds.

Learn from others.Try to fnaccounts o others who have taken

similar risks, and examine why the

succeeded or ailed.

Include God in the decisionmaking process. God can and

wants to help things turn out welor you,1 and He will i youre in

tune and in step with Him.2 He s

the whole picture, and He will he

you see it more clearly i you ask

Him to.3

Dont abandon common senRisk-taking is not about abandoni

common sense, and neither is tryi

HIGH

REWARD

By Peter Amsterdam

4


5/16

POINTS TO PONDER

TA k G k A O c O G F A

Man cannot discover new

oceans unless he has the

courage to lose sight of the

shore.Andr Gide (French

writer, humanist, and moralist;

18691951)

Great deeds are usually wrought

at great risks.Herodotus (Greek

historian; 490430 bc)

To dare is to lose ones footing

momentarily. To not dare is to

lose oneself.Sren Kierkegaard

(Danish philosopher, theologian,

and author; 18131855)

Progress always involves risk;you cant steal second base and

keep your foot on rst base.

Frederick Wilcox (dates unknown)

Security is mostly a superstition.

It does not exist in nature, nor

do the children of men as a

whole experience it. Avoiding

danger is no safer in the long

run than outright exposure. Life

is either a daring adventure o

nothing.Helen Keller (deaf a

blind American author, politica

activist, and lecturer; 1880196

We seem to gain wisdom mor

readily through our failures

than through our successes. W

always think of failure as the

antithesis of success, but it isn

Success often lies just the oth

side of failure.Leo F. Buscagl

(American author and motiva-

tional speaker; 19241998)

The time to take counsel of

your fears is before you make

an important battle decision.

Thats the time to listen to eve

fear you can imagine! When y

have collected all the facts an

fears and made your decisionturn o all your fears and go

ahead!General George S.

Patton (United States Army o

cer; 18851945)

Only those who risk going too

far can possibly nd out how

they can go.T.S. Eliot (Americ

poet, playwright, and literary

critic; 18881965)

to fnd Gods mind on the matter.

God wants us to exercise our aith

in Him, and He does sometimes

work in mysterious ways, but He

also gave us the power to reason or

a purpose. He expects us to think

things through.

Be willing to take action. Youcant aord to be impulsive, but you

also cant wait or everything to be

perect and risk-ree; you need to be

prepared to commit when the time is

right, to seize the day.

I a seemingly golden opportunity

should come your way and its right

or you, you can be sure that God

planned and orchestrated it. Whenthats the case, a calculated risk can

become the gateway to success.

Peter Amsterdam and his wife,

Maria Fontaine, are directors

of the Family International,

a Christian community of

faith.


6/16

It is widely believed that we are born

with only three fears: ear o loud noises, earo alling, and ear o abandonment. ese, according

to some psychologists, are hardwired into our nature; all

others are acquired. Fear o spiders, ear o the dark, ear

o dentists, and the rest are programmed into our psyche

through either frsthand experience or inormation we

take in.

Fear is a vital response to danger. I, when walking

down a dark unamiliar street at night, your pulse

quickens, your breathing becomes shallow, and you eel

a tingling at the nape o your neck, thats your brainsending signals to your body that you may be in harms

way. You decide to turn onto a brightly lit street, or to

slip into a store and call someone to pick you up.

Fears generally all into two categories: legitimate

earsthose that warn o a genuine threat, either physi-

cal or emotionaland unounded ears that are born o

ones imagination and have little or no basis in reality.

e trouble is, our brains have diculty telling the

two apart and will oten react to both in the same way:

increased activity in the brains amygdala area1 activatesour fght-or-ight response.

One method therapists use to help a person over-

come ear is through controlled exposure to whatever

is causing the ear response, such as heights or spiders.

1. T he amygdala has been called the seat of emotion

2. See Jeremiah 29:11; Romans 8:28.

3. www.mywonderstudio.com

When the ear is not realizedin other words, when th

eared consequence repeatedly does not take placeth

mind is retrained to not react in ear when conronted

by the supposed threat.

Other ears are harder to overcome because they are

not tied to a physical situation or agent. Rather, they

are internal, having to do with worry and insecurity.

Analyzing them to separate reality rom misperception

usually helps, and our greatest source o understandingcomort, and relie rom such ears is God Himsel.

When we have the assurance that He has our best inter

ests at heart, stands with us in the present, has planned

our uture, and promises that all things will turn out o

good in the end,2 it puts things in perspective and ears

recede.

God has provided relie rom both types o ear

through a personal connection with Him. We make

that connection through prayer, and we strengthen it

by reading and studying Gods Word, believing Hispromises to us therein, and applying them in our daily

lives. e more we learn to turn to and depend on God

the more He is able to help us overcome our ears.

Tomoko Matsuoka is a content developer for

My Wonder Studio,3 a Christian character-

building website for children, and lives in

Chiba, Japan.

By Tomoko Matsuoka

BREAKINGDOWN FEAR

6


7/16

God is our best defense against fearandagainst the things we fear.

God is our reuge and strength, a very present help in

trouble. ereore we will not ear, even though the earth

be removed, and though the mountains be carried into

the midst o the sea.Psalm 46:12

Because he has set his love upon Me, thereore I will

deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has knownMy name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor

him.Psalm 91:1415

e name o the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous

run to it and are sae.Proverbs 18:10

I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, say-

ing to you, Fear not, I will help you.Isaiah 41:13

Do not ear. ... When you pass through the waters, I

will be with you; and when you pass through the

rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walkthrough the fre, you will not be burned; the ames will

not set you ablaze.Isaiah 43:12 NIV

God will replace fear with peace.Now acquaint yoursel with [God], and be at peace.

Job 22:21

When you lie down, you will not be araid; yes, you

will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.Proverbs 3:24

Feeding Reading

Freedom

from fearBy Samuel Keating

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every sit

ation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, prese

your requests to God. And the peace o God, which

transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts an

your minds in Christ Jesus.Philippians 4:67 NIVGod has not given us a spirit o ear, but o power a

o love and o a sound mind.2 Timothy 1:7

With God beside us, we have nothing tofear.

e Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall

ear? e Lord is the strength o my lie; o whom shal

be araid?Psalm 27:1

Whenever I am araid, I will trust in You. In God I

have put my trust; I will not ear. What can esh do tome?Psalm 56:34

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I wil

ear no evil, or you are with me.Psalm 23:4 NIV

Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be

araid.Isaiah 12:2

Samuel Keating is Activateds production

coordinator and lives in Milan, Italy.


8/16

Once upon a time therewas a little girl who

spent her days sitting

beside a pond, watching a ro

on a lily pad. e little girl knew t

the rog was probably a prince, an

the rogwho was indeed a princ

knew that the little girl could kiss

nose and break the magic spell tha

a wicked witch had cast on him. B

the little girl on the bank o the powas too shy to begin a conversatio

with the rog, and the rog simply

could not bring himsel to tell her

how badly he wanted her to kiss

him. So the little girl went on sitti

there, watching the rog. And that

the end o the story.

Sadly, this sort o thing happen

all the time in real lie. ink o a

the beautiul relationships that couhave blossomed but never did, the

Romeos that never embraced their

Juliets because both o them were

shy to make the frst move. Or, th

o all the Carusos, Mozarts, and

Rembrandts that the world will ne

know because they were too shy to

let their gits be seen by others, th

By John Weaver, adapted

8


9/16

bottled-up geniuses who never dared

to express themselves.

While some people are naturallyopen and can talk a blue streak,

others are more introverted, with-

drawn, reticent. But most people

who suer rom inhibited social

contact initiative syndromeas

some now call what was once simply

termed shynessdont want to be

that way. ey would like to be able

to interact with others more reely,

but it is very hard or them to breakout rom behind the walls that hold

them prisoner.

Shyness is usually a combina-

tion o ear and sel-consciousness.

When were shy, its oten because

were worried about what other

people might say or think about us,

especially i weve heard it beore or

think it ourselves. Maybe we think

were too tall or too short, or too ator too thin, or ugly, or whatever.

at was Cass Daleys problem.

She wanted to be a singer, but she

was very sel-conscious because o her

large mouth and buck teeth. When

she began singing in nightclubs as a

teenager, she tried to hide her buck

teeth behind a down-stretched

upper lip. e result was that she

made hersel look ridiculous.

One night, a man heard her sing,recognized her exceptional talent,

and wasnt too shy to tell her the

truth. See here, he said to her

bluntly, Ive been watching your

perormance and I know what it is

youre trying to hide. Youre ashamed

o your teeth. Cass was embarrassed,

but the man continued, What

o it? Is there any crime in having

buck teeth? Dont try to hide them.Flaunt them! e audience will

love you when they see that youre

not ashamed. Besides, those teeth

youre trying to hide may make your

ortune.

Cass Daley took his advice. From

that time on, she opened her mouth

wide and sang with such gusto and

enjoyment that she became not only

a successul singer, but also a flmactress and comedienne.

How can we overcome shyness

and timidity? One way is to orget

about ourselves, like Cass Daley did.

When we stop worrying about all the

things we think others would like us

to be and instead are content with

the way God made us, then we will

stop worrying so much about the

opinions o others.

No one wants to be met by a costare o rejection, but i you spend

your lie avoiding rejection, you

will never get very ar or accompli

much. Step out. Nothing ventured

nothing gained.

e author and dramatist Geor

Bernard Shaw is another example

o someone who overcame shynes

and he went on to become one

o the wittiest, most outspokenpublic speakers o his time. When

asked how he managed to change,

he replied, I did it the same way

I learned to skateby persistently

making a ool o mysel until I go

used to it.

As a young man, Shaw was so

timid he would oten walk up and

down a street or 20 minutes beo

he dared to knock on the door osomeone with whom he wasnt

well acquainted. Few men, he

conessed, have suered more ro

shyness and simple cowardice than

haveor have been more ashame

o it!

Finally he hit upon a way to

conquer his shyness and ear.

My first language was shy.

Its only by having been thrust

into the limelight that I have

learned to cope with my shyness.

Al Pacino (American film and

stage actor and director; b. 1940)


10/16

Determined to turn his weak point

into his strongest asset, he joined a

debating society. He also attended

every meeting in London in which

there was to be a public discussion,

and orced himsel to take part inthe debate. With practice, his public

speaking improved. Eventually

George Bernard Shaw became one

o the most confdent and brilliant

speakers o the early 20th century.

Cass Daley and George Bernard

Shaw had at least two things in

common: determination and a plan.

ose are key elements o sel-help,

but theres something else, a catalystthat can both ease and speed the

process exponentially. Gods Spirit

working in us is able to do immea-

surably more than all we ask or

imagine.1 God-help is vastly better

than sel-help alone.

is applies to shyness, but it also

applies in every other area o lie.

Whatever area o your lie you want

to change or the better, God wantsto help you do it.2 Some changes are

instantaneous, but most are gradual.

We are His handiwork, but we are

all works in progress. With shyness,

the more conscious you become o

Gods loving presence in your lie,

the more secure you will eel in that

love, the less sel-conscious you will

be, and the more at ease you will bewith others. Its like what happens

when you stream clean water into a

bucket o muddy watereventually

clean water will displace nearly all o

the muddy water so the water in the

bucket is all but pure. In this case,

the clean water source is quality time

with God, spent in meditative prayer

or reading the Bible or other material

that brings you closer to Him.Draw near to God and He will

draw near to you,3 the Bible prom-

ises. Every time you reach out to

Him, His Spirit touches and changes

you a little more.

TH TY TOcOTBTBy Erin Falconer

Overcoming shyness isnt just

something you should do for

yourself; its also part of being a

contributing member of society

When you have a thought or ide

that deserves to be heard, your

not only hurting yourself by

keeping quiet, youre hurting th

people around you.

Other people need you. They

need your intelligence and insig

They need your help to work

through problems. By hidingbehind shyness, you limit the he

you can give to your friends, fam

members, and colleagues.4

1. Ephesians 3:20 NIV

2. See 1 John 5:1415.

3. James 4:8

4. Source: www.pickthebrain.com/blog/overcoming-shyness

I was the shyest human ever invented, but I

had a lion inside me that wouldnt shut up!

Ingrid Bergman (Swedish actress; 19151982)

Would you like to experience

Gods loving, transforming

presence like never before? It

begins by inviting His Son, Jesus,

into your life. Simply pray:

Jesus, I believe in You. Please

come into my life. Amen.

10


11/16

You need to give a toast at

your best friends wedding,or make an acceptance speech or an

award youve won, or sell a group at

work on a new projectand youre

dying inside because this is one

speaking engagement you cant say

no to.

You arent alone. Also known as

glossophobia, the ear o public speak-

ing is one o the very most common

ears. As with any ear, the best wayto overcome glossophobia is to deal

with it at its roots.

Fear #1: I wont knowwhat to say.

Is it hard or you to talk about your

avorite sports team, or a book or flm

you thoroughly enjoyed? Probably

not. You know how you eel about it

and why. Delve into your topic untilyou fnd at least one point you can be

passionate about, and build on that.

It usually takes more thanthree weeks to prepare a

good impromptu speech.

Mark Twain, American writer

and humorist (18351910)

GLOSSOPHOBIABy Yushi Jai

Fear #2: What willpeople think of me?

Its human nature to be largely

sel-centered. While thats not a very

happy thought, its good news or

you, the nervous public speaker, or

two reasons: First, most people are

more ocused on their own perceived

aws and shortcomings than they

are on yours. Second, your audi-

ence hopes to gain something rom

hearing you speak; they want you tosucceed. Just be yoursel.

Fear #3: I will be sonervous that everyonewill notice.

An excellent way to set you and

your audience at ease is by starting

with a story that is both relevant to

the topic o your presentation and

that you eel comortable telling.A little humor, i appropriate, also

helps.

Fear #4: My mind willgo blank.

Having thoroughly rehearsed notes

will decrease the likelihood o orget-

ting what you have planned to say.

Highlight key points in your note

to help you quickly fnd your placyou stumble.

Fear #5: I wont be abto hold my audienceattention.

In this age o multitasking and inp

overload, attention spans are getti

shorter, so be succinct. Brie anec-

dotes are catchy, and humor provi

breaks. Use a ew clear acts or fguto support your point, but too ma

o those can be conusing and wea

ing. Visual aids help present mater

quickly and clearly. Programs such

PowerPoint have been created with

the seminar presenter in mind. A

picture is worth a thousand words

Make sure you have

finished speaking beforeyour audience has finished

listening.

Dorothy Sarnoff, America

opera singer and image

consultant (19142008)

Yushi Jai is a t eacher and a

member of TFI i n Japan.


12/16

Some song lyrics have a big

impact on me. One example is

Stephen Stills Love the One Youre

With. e chorus o which says, I

you cant be with the one you love,

love the one you are with.

It was 1974, my boyriend and I

had just split up, and I was heart-

broken. For weeks I alternatedbetween trying to avoid him and try-

ing to catch his attention. Attending

the same school that he did was

torture! is song helped me then to

look outward, to reach out. Hal a

lietime later, it had the same eect.

I was on a city bus when a young

mother with a two- or three-year-old

girl took the seat directly in ront o

me. e frst thing I noticed was thatboth o them were nicely dressed and

well groomed. My second thought

was that they appeared to be oreign-

ers. I observed them or a while,

trying to fgure out where they were

rom. e little girl played happily

Love the One Youre WithBy Anna Perlini

with a toy, but I could read atigue

and troubles on the mothers ace.

As I looked on, I couldnt help

but think o my our granddaugh-

ters who live on the other side o

the world. I chat with them over

the internet and I see new photos

regularly, but I miss holding them in

my arms.ose are beautiul, I said,

pointing to the little girls gold ear-

rings. e young womans eyes lit up,

and instantly we elt a connection.

I soon learned that they had

come to Italy a ew months earlier,

at the invitation o relatives, and that

her husband was still back in their

home country, awaiting word that

they had ound a job or him. In themeantime she had also been looking

or work or hersel, but nothing had

materialized. It was dicult to fnd

steady work with a young child and

no one able to care or her during

work hours. e mother was only

20, the age I had been when I had

my frst child.

e bus pulled up to my stop,

and it turned out to be their stop

also. I needed to get to the train

station, but was unamiliar with

that part o town. My new riend

oered to show me the way, and I

grateully accepted. As we walked

along, we talked some more. I told

her about my lie, my kids, andmy granddaughters. She gave me

a sympathetic look when I told

her I hadnt seen them in a long

time. en the little girl gave me a

smile, as i to say, Im here.

I remembered my own

struggles as a young, inexpe-

rienced mother and tried to

encourage this young woman

to hold on. e sacrifces shewas making to arrange a good

situation or her amily would be

worth it, I assured her. I also told

her about my recent experiences

as a volunteer, how as I give o my

time and energy to others in need

the missing things in my lie are

a lot more bearable.1. Matthew 22:39 CEV

12


13/16

Th Gratst f All is LovA Parents Paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 13

I I live in a house o spotless beauty with everything in its place, but hav

not love, I am a housekeeper, not a homemaker.

I I live or waxing, polishing, and decorative achievements, but have not

love, my children learn o cleanliness, not godliness.

Love leaves the dust in search o a childs laugh.

Love smiles at the tiny fngerprints on a newly cleaned window.

Love wipes away the tears beore it wipes up the spilled milk.

Love picks up the child beore it picks up the toys.

Love is present through the trials.

Love reprimands, reproves, and is responsive.Love crawls with the baby, walks with the toddler, runs with the child, th

stands aside to let the child walk into adulthood.

Love is the key that opens salvations message to a childs heart.

Beore I became a mother, I took glory in my house o perection.

Now I glory in Gods perection o my children.

As a mother, there is much I must teach my children, but the greatest o

is love.

Author unknown

en that old song started

replaying in my head. is time it

wasnt about the loss o a boyriend,

but rather my longing to spend

more time with my children and

grandchildren. I you cant be with

the one you love, love the one you

are with.

As we said goodbye, I pressedsome money into her hand. I

couldnt aord much, but I knew

even that little would help, given her

dicult situation. She hadnt asked,

but I had elt that I needed to show

her and her little girl the same love

and concern I would have shown my

own daughters and granddaughters,

had I met them on the bus that day.

Jesus instructed us, Love othersas much as you love yoursel.1

I think i He had expounded on

that, He might have said, And love

others as much as you love your own

children.

Anna Perlini is a member of

TFI in Croatia.


14/16

A: Who doesnt worry sometimes?

We worry about whats going to hap-

pen in the world. We worry about

ailing in school or in our work. We

worry that we wont be able to make

ends meet fnancially. We worryabout how were going to make up

or mistakes weve made or oppor-

tunities we missed. We worry about

our uture. We worry about losing

the ones we love. We worry about so

many things!

Most worries come down to one

o two things: retting about past

ailures and situations gone wrong,

or earing the uture.How can we keep those ears rom

aecting us? One good answer can be

ound in an unexpected placethe

modern ocean liner. Ocean liners are

1. Romans 8:28

2. Psalm 56:3

3. Isaiah 12:2, emphasis added

Answers To Your Questions

Alleviating Worry

constructed with freproo, water-

tight steel doors that, in the event

o fre or serious leakage, can seal

o the damaged compartment and

contain the problem so the ship can

stay aoat.So it should be in the ship o our

lives. In order to make the most o

today and best prepare or the uture,

we have to learn to seal ourselves o

rom worries about yesterday with its

mistakes and ailures, as well as rom

overblown concerns about tomorrow.

Otherwise our worries may ood us

and drag us under.

Have you ever noticed that itsthe things that never happen that

seem to worry us the most? One

businessman drew up what he called

a worry chart, where he kept a

record o his ears. He discovered

that 40% o them were about things

that probably would never happen,

30% concerned past decisions that

he could not change, 12% had to

with other peoples criticism o him

and 10% were unounded worries

about his health. He concluded th

there were valid reasons or only 8

o his worries.

Worry is like a rocking chai

it gives you something to

do, but it never gets you

anywhere.

As Christians we dont have to

or worry about anything, because

have the assurance that all things

work together or good to those wlove the Lord.1 e amous evang

list Dwight L. Moody (1837189

used to say, You can travel frst cl

or second class to heaven. Second

class is, What time I am araid, I

trust,2 and frst class is, I will trus

and notbe araid.3 So why not bu

frst-class ticket?

Q: Sometimes I feel like Im being overcome with worries.

What can I do to stop worrying so much?

14


15/16

Being afraid is like being

trapped in a small, darkroom. e darkness can be so thick

it eels suocating. You reach out,

but you cant fnd the exit. But fnd

the light switch, turn on a light, and

everything changes. Even a small

light helps you get your bearings and

shows you the way out.

One thing that doesnt help when

youre araid or worried is pretend-

ing that the ear will go away i youignore it. Fear must be dispelled. You

need to fnd the way out.

Try this exercise the next time you

eel trapped by ear or worry. You

will need our things: a room that

can be darkened, a candle or lamp, a

means to light the candle or turn on

the lamp, and a Bible.

Go to that room at a time whenyou wont be disturbed. Turn on

a light and close the curtains or

pull the blinds. Take a ew minutes

to read and think about what the

1. Psalm 91:12 CEV

2. Psalm 23:4 CEV

3. Psalm 27:1 CEV

OVERCOME DARKNESSA Spiritual Exercise

By Abi F. May

Bible has to say about our ears and

worries. For example: Live under

the protection o God Most High

and stay in the shadow o God

All-Powerul. en you will say to

the Lord, You are my ortress, my

place o saety; you are my God, and

I trust you.1 I may walk through

valleys as dark as death, but I wont

be araid.2 You, Lord, are the lightthat keeps me sae. You protect

me, and I have no ears.3

Now turn o the light and tell

God what is bothering you. Be as

detailed as you like; He has endless

patience. And dont worry that He

wont understand. Even i your ears

turn out to be unounded, they are

very real to you at the moment, an

He knows that.

Now light the candle or turn

on the lamp. is light represents

Gods presence and power. You are

no longer in a dark room, alone wyour ears. He is with you, and H

light has overcome the darkness.

ank Him or His presence

and that He is always with you, no

matter what. As you leave the room

turn out the light or extinguish th

candle; you wont need it as you

go out into the daylight or lighted

house. But take the experience wit

you. e next time you eel ear coing on, recall this exercise. Mental

ip the switch or light the candle,

remind yoursel o His comorting

unailing presence and be at peace

Abi F. May is an edu cator an

author in Great Britain, an

an Activated staff writer.


16/16

My eye is on the sparrow as she utters about insearch o ood and a place to nest. She trusts Me,and I guide her to a resting place. She doesnt worryabout what she doesnt have. She just goes about herday and trusts that I will provide her needs. Howsmall and numerous are the sparrows, and yet I

know and watch over them all. I remember and careor each one.

You, My child, are ar more precious to Methan all the sparrows combined, and i I show suchconcern or these small and seemingly insignifcantcreatures, will I not also care or you?

I know your troubles and I understand yourears. I am here to give you aith and answer yourprayers, but I need you to trust Me as the littlesparrow does. You dont see her uttering about in apanic, worried and urried; she is calm and peace-ul, knowing that My eye is on her and I will careor her as My own.

My eye is on you, too, and I stand ready to help.So trust Me, wont you? Let Me do the worrying!

From Jesus with Love

Conider thesparrow

activated february 2012

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