Scary things...

I remember how my 3-8 year old mind interpreted the night. The shadows would seem to form into very convincing shapes of strange people or monsters. For years I was positive that I wouldn’t make it through the night with my closet door open and I just knew for a fact that when the darkness crept in, the trees in my yard turned into living creatures with evil intentions.

I have a saying. ‘Sometimes scary things are scary because they are scary.’ Emphasis on the sometimes there. There are things that are just plain scary but some things are scary because I’m not looking at them from the right angle. If I had faced the shadows, closet, and trees, I would’ve discovered empty corners, my hung clothes and the same trees that I had been climbing in the daylight. Nothing scary; just the light hitting them at a different angle.

I have experienced other fears in my life that have left me feeling foolish or left me with the sense that because I let fear keep me from acting, I missed out on an opportunity. Fears of rejection, failure, embarrassment, conflict, etc. have kept me from who knows what. Sad thing is, these fears that I can’t physically touch, constantly need their foolishness proved over and over again. Why is it scary? In order to have them proved as foolish, I have to introduce an element that is not in my control. People. What do I need to learn? When my little experiment to conquer my fears explodes in my face, its okay…I’ll be alright.

I know there are things that I’m going to have to face that are truly scary. When those instances come, I hope that I have trained myself to look at the face of God for comfort and not let my mind be overcome with the fact that I’m scared that I’m facing something scary. I’m not alone at any time. I might need to be reminded of that.

By the way: The back yard is still pretty creepy at night! It just is!!