Fear was a stronghold in my life for many years, especially during childhood.
God really got ahold of me in that realm in my early 20’s, and I’m so grateful for the transforming work He is doing in my life in freeing me from fear of other things outside of Him. All that to say, when I saw that there was a book coming out about fighting fear, I was pretty excited. It was launching just as Covid-19 was getting really bad, and I knew it was going to be a very timely resource for the days we’re living in. And it certainly was for me.
In it, Kristen Wetherell addresses fear based on who God is and how knowing and fearing Him helps us overcome other fears (failure, evil, loneliness, death, etc.). It is abounding with Scripture, leaving the reader meditating on truth throughout the entire book.
Here are a few quotes:
“In a great and divine mystery, God’s sovereignty and human plans work together to accomplish the purposes God has ordained for each of us. Such knowledge is too wonderful for us to grasp (Psalm 139:6), but this brings surety because a God we could fully grasp wouldn’t be worthy of our fear.”
(pg. 65)
“When our worst fears come to pass (or we’re afraid they will), our trust in God’s goodness will deepen as we “taste and see” Jesus’ fellowship with us in suffering: his agony that produced bloody sweat as he anticipated drinking the cup of God’s wrath on the cross where he became sin for us, tasting death in our place. Our trust in God’s goodness will also deepen as we taste and see the power of Jesus’ resurrection as he overcame death, that we might never taste death ourselves but dwell in his saving love and eternal life.”
(pg. 82-83)
“As we learn to trust God’s heart, we’ll learn to trust his hand. God won’t necessarily give us everything we want or think we need, but everything he knows we most need. And we can trust his sovereign, good heart–in abundance or lack, ease or hardship–because he has already provided for our greatest need in Christ.”
(pg 96)
“When death arrives, true and everlasting life will follow. Your King will say to you, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:3-4). Be assured, friend, and do not fear. You will meet your Savior.”
(pg 174)
Whether fear is a continual battle for you or you are simply wanting a resource that will equip you to help others battling fear, this book is a perfect resource. You will close it being left in awe of who God is, and with a greater grasp on the truth that “the fear of the Lord is a fountain of life” (Proverbs 14:27).
Your friend,
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![Not long ago I was asked to do something that a few years (and kids) ago I could say yes to fairly easily. But with the coming of more little ones, homeschooling, and all the other tasks on my plate as a wife and mama, it was just too much.
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I was expressing to Judah how guilty I felt for needing to say no. Technically I could probably have figured out how to fit it in, but I knew it would be a detriment to my priorities. Judah said, “You shouldn’t feel guilty for saying no to something that hinders you from your job. Mothering is your full-time job, and it’s ok to treat it that way. You couldn’t commit to [this other thing] if you were working somewhere else, right? It’s ok to say no so that you are doing your job well.”
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Do you know how freeing those words were for me? They reminded me of the value and dignity of my work as a mama and homemaker. It reminded me that God doesn’t see this is “just motherhood.” It’s a good and important roll, and I can and should treat it as such.
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Does this mean motherhood is the only thing I ever do? No. Does this mean my value is tied up in motherhood? Also no. There are times when I can say yes to outside opportunities without it causing unnecessary disruption to our family. But there is joy and freedom in embracing this full-time job of mothering and letting other things go for now that don’t fit with that. I’m quite sure (from what I’ve heard) I’ll never regret it.
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(I had just drafted this post when I saw one written by @abigail__dodds that was from a mama’s perspective 10 years down the road from where I am now. You should go read it).
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#motherhood #Christcenteredmotherhood #setapartmotherhood](https://www.heathercofer.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
[…] Wetherell. Kristen recently published a book called Fight Your Fears (which I highlighted in a recent blog post), so she was the perfect person to talk with on this subject. She has also walked through […]