Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Fear & Pleasure

Perhaps there was a time when you were young, and well enough to have ridden a roller-coaster, gone downhill skiing/snow boarding...or went sledding down a steep hill....

As a child- I remember doing some of those kinds of activities and having that rare sensation when pure-fear and pure-pleasure combine into terrific-terror. The exhilaration was a cathartic and gave way to euphoria, and then pleasurable relief and rest! 

Dealing with Lyme brings plenty of fear along on the ride- but pleasure? Not only are there real fears- but those of us with this stuff in our brain, can experience heightened levels of fear.

The Lyme-fighters I've met are strong people; not naturally prone to being fearful.  But Lyme brings sometimes overwhelming fear~ 

I am learning to acknowledge the fear- and then choose to look at my situation more like an adventure- one of those wild rides down 'the big hill' back home on my wooden-metal railed-sled.  Why should I let Lyme steal the thrill of adventure?

There's another fear of which I am discovering in this adventure... With this particular fear comes: delight, success, generosity, compassion, overcoming, influence...peace, and safety.  These are just a few of the fruits of fearing the LORD. 

I was reading in Psalm 112 today, and was taken in  by descriptions of those who fear the LORD~These are attributes that are God-given, and are untouchable by Lyme.  They bring pleasure out of 'fear'- pleasure that transcends darkness, brings confidence in the face of foes... Listen to this: 
(from www.biblegateway.com   I highlighted just a few verses-)

Psalm 112

New Living Translation (NLT)

Psalm 112[a]

1 Praise the Lord!
How joyful are those who fear the Lord
and delight in obeying his commands.
2 Their children will be successful everywhere;
an entire generation of godly people will be blessed.
3 They themselves will be wealthy,
and their good deeds will last forever.
4 Light shines in the darkness for the godly.
They are generous, compassionate, and righteous.

5 Good comes to those who lend money generously
and conduct their business fairly.
6 Such people will not be overcome by evil.
Those who are righteous will be long remembered.
7 They do not fear bad news;
they confidently trust the Lord to care for them.
8 They are confident and fearless
and can face their foes triumphantly.
9 They share freely and give generously to those in need.
Their good deeds will be remembered forever.
They will have influence and honor.
10 The wicked will see this and be infuriated.
They will grind their teeth in anger;
they will slink away, their hopes thwarted.
Footnotes:
  1. Psalm 112:1 This psalm is a Hebrew acrostic poem; after the introductory note of praise, each line begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

May this fear- fear of the LORD- be my overriding fear.  As the waves of fear come- may my LORD lift me to the place of worship in my heart/soul/mind..and as I bow low before Him there, in complete and utter fear/respect- for my God is a Great, Awesome, Mighty, All- Powerful God- and worthy of my praise...Yes, this fear is really the only one with which I need concern myself;  how is my relationship with this Great God....

... there it is- I'm back on that sled, experiencing the thrill of intense fear & pleasure-with an even greatersense of intensity, as I fellowship with my God.
 
~cynthia

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