Fears and Chihuahuas

This morning I had a stand-off with a Chihuahua.   Totally serious.  I go jogging in the mornings and I happened to be coming down a side street when I heard barking.  I looked around but didn’t see a dog, but I could tell it was close.  Suddenly, I looked down and saw this scrawny, little dog like the kind on those old Taco Bell commercials. 

It yapped and yapped and then started coming at me.  So, I did what anyone would do: I stopped and stared at it.  Then, strangely, it stopped and starred at me too (and kept barking of course).  I started to walk away, but then it came after me, so I stopped again and stared.  It stopped and stared. 

I started to walk away again and this time it got really close to me like it was going to bite me…or nibble (I don’t know what Chihuahuas do!).  I stopped again and it backed up and stared at me.  I was kind of scared of what this thing would do if I took off. 

Then I was like “What the heck?  It’s a stinkin’ Chihuahua!  Why should I be afraid of this thing?!”  And so I kicked it as hard as I could!!!  Ha, just kidding.  I stared a little longer and it eventually seemed to think I was getting boring so it walked away.  I walked away too and that was the end of it.

Aren’t our fears just like this?  We get so worried about stuff.  But, so often, we need to remind ourselves that our fears are just Chihuahuas.  Isn’t this what happened to the disciples in the boat with Jesus?  They were freaking out about their lives, but the creator of the world was in their boat.  He naturally asked them, after calming the storm, “Why were you so afraid?”

Satan is another Chihuahua.  We talk about him tempting us to sin and all that, but I wonder if more often he would rather just make us afraid, so he amplifies our fears.  If we are afraid we won’t take risks. And when you don’t take risks, it’s hard to impact the world.  What fear is facing you right now?  Does that fear overwhelm you?  Maybe it’s just that evil Chihuahua trying to convince you that you can’t do it, you’ll never make it, you’re not good enough, you should just give up, you should just settle. 

Yet, our Abba Father is saying, “It’s just a Chihuahua.  Listen to me.  You are bigger than that thing.  You can face this.  You can get through this.  And the best news is ‘you belong to God, dear children….The Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit (Satan) who lives in the world’ (1 John 4:4).  I am with you and in you.  We can face this together!  And not only can we face this together, we can climb new mountains and conquer new heights!  Let’s do this!”