Winds of Fear or Wings of Grace

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I look at the thermometer. It reads 45°. To my husband I say, “A good day to go for a walk.”
    “There’s a cold wind." he responds. You might want to step out the garage door and check it.” 
     “Oh, I don’t think I’ll go. I’ll walk inside.” 

After a few minutes, I look out the window. The tree branches are barely moving. I put on my warm coat, pull my knit hat over my ears and walk outside. I sniff the air. It’s so much fresher than the stale air inside my house. The wind blows. I'm facing it. Sweeping under my hat and swishing around my ears, it threatens to carry it off. Securing my hat with my mittened gloves, I keep walking. 

When I’ve walked as far as I want go for the day, I turn around and head back home. Now the wind is on my back, gently pushing me up the hill. Strengthened by it's energy, I feel as if I have wings. I’m flying. 

Fear, like a strong wind in our face, can cause us to turn back. Or we can walk into it. When we do so, God's Grace, like an empowering wind, gives us wings. Power to fly.

Are winds of fear causing you to doubt you can handle a challenge in your life? I hope you will not give up and turn back. Instead, face your challenge. With the power of God's grace, fly above fear.  

While walking home, I recalled the following poem I wrote a few years ago when  feeling anxious and hesitant about writing. 

a risk
false labor
a first attempt
a practice run
we must all began somewhere

only
the fearful
the perfectionist
and the procrastinator
fail to begin

mistakes
for them
are signals of guilt
indications of failure
so they withdraw

threatened by clouds of disapproval
they refuse to plant.
they remain unknown
unpublished
unheard of

withholding their talents from the world
their laboratories become
tombstones of anonymity
productive only
of boredom


If we do nothing with our gifts and talents , we rob both others and ourselves of joy.

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