Fearless

Are you fearless? I am not, and tomorrow I will be staring down the demon that has caused me much anxiety and panic my whole life. I will be putting my life and my darling daughter's life in the hands of a US Airways pilot and his crew. Yes, I am afraid to fly. I absolutely hate it. I have tried everything I know to conquer this fear. I have read books, talked to retired flight attendants, and I've even taken long practice flights before big trips, but none of it helps. Being the parent I have had to swallow my fear and smile while gripping the armrest with a white-knuckle death grip, so that my darling daughter wouldn't be afraid. When she was little I'd hold her on my lap and hug her tight while we took off and landed. She's too big for that now, so on will come the brave face.
     Being as how I am facing that fear I wondered what else I am afraid of, and it turns out the list is pretty short. In addition to flying, I can add to that list dying, and that's about it. I think we all have things that we are afraid of, and my little short list has two common denominators - I have no real control of either one. I am putting myself in someone else's care and I have to trust that everything will be ok. I remember my dad telling me one time on a fateful and VERY turbulent ride from Palm Beach to Baltimore that the pilot wanted to get on the ground just as badly as I did, and of course everything was ok. As for the dying, I have to trust that God has all of that under control. I guess my point here is that we have to trust those who are in charge.
     I am reading a great book right now called Fearless by Max Lucado. It's a great book. He talks about all kinds of fear and how God has told us over and over that when He is in charge there is nothing to fear. It sounds so easy. Trust God. Tomorrow as I get on that overgrown bucket of bolts I will be doing just that - trusting God. I am finding that the older I get the easier that is. For those of you who are young and trusting God, I think that is so excellent! I have to say that knowing what it is that I need to place in His hands is half the battle, but when you are afraid it can be anything but easy.  God can handle it all. I would encourage anyone to find their fears and place them in God's hands. If you stop and be still you might even hear his gentle whisper in your ear "I've got this. Do not be afraid anymore. Relax and enjoy your flight." Here's hoping He's got it under control tomorrow!
Cheers!