911 – A Primer in Courage - Pt 2

Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6 ESV). Yesterday we looked at two different suggestions to erase our fear in place of courage: first, understand that your hope is in Christ; and second, connect to others for encouragement. Today there are several more to add to these.  Third, create structure in your life. One of the things that such a devastating tragedy as the terrorist attacks of 9/11 does is to shake some of the structure that we have come to rely on. For many, their normal routines have been interfered with, like travel, opening the mail, going through security at the office, etc. Life has changed, and that can be unsettling to many people. So, make sure that you are taking control of the things that you can control, like your schedule, your work, and even your connecting to others. Schedule some predictability in your life.  Fourth, reexamine your self-talk. One of the most effective ways that there is of dealing with fear is to listen to what goes on inside your head and find out the "catastrophizing" kinds of things you tell yourself. Many people do not know that they are saying things to themselves like "we are all going to die," "this is only going to get worse," or “I will never have a normal life again." Listen to yourself and then refute them with more rational beliefs. "Some might die, but not everyone. In fact, there are a lot of people flying every day, and opening mail every day safely." "This is unlikely to get worse because now we are taking much more precaution and measures to contain it and eliminate it." "I might not have exactly the same life I had, but I am able to deal with the few inconveniences that have come. I can enjoy everything that I used to enjoy." There are much more rational thoughts than the ones that create debilitating fear, and you must refute the frightening ones with reality.  Fifth, go forward in life. I remember when my children were little and teaching them to ride their bikes. Inevitably they would fall off the first few times they tried to ride without my helping them. But, if I could just get them back on their bikes and riding again, I knew they’d be able to ride in no time. They had to face their fear of riding by getting right back on and trying again. So it is with most fears. Research has shown over and over that the worst thing we can do is avoid doing the things that frighten us, unless they are just too overwhelming and cause someone to be unable to function. But most fear is not like that. It does not make us have a breakdown; it just makes us very uneasy. So, whatever has you fearful of the future, get back on your “bike.” Start to live your life again.