“But if we do that, then what if _____ happens? THEN what are we going to do?”

It came out in a conversation, awakening us to “What if?!”  What if, what? What if she learns some hard lessons, and begins to take on responsibility? What if we, her parents, take the Fear, the other F-word, by the horns and put it where it belongs? Fear can make people do (or keep them from doing) lots of things.

Fear had invaded our lives. It crept in but when it reared its ugly head, it seemed so sudden, as if we didn’t invite it. But we did.  We had literally been held hostage to the What IF scenarios, and facing it has been like a cross between a breath of fresh air and truth, and a runaway motorcycle with no brakes.  But fear is not from God.

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. 1Timothy 1:7

Fear isn’t supposed to rule our lives, nor are we to make our decisions based on fear of the consequences. True, some fear is healthy, and often consequences need to be considered, as in choosing to speed in the car, and paying a speeding ticket. But to face life this way is unhealthy. I am seeking God for wisdom in this and all circumstances. I don’t know it all.

We had not gone to that extreme; fear did not rule us. It did, however, cause us to enable to lazy teenager to continue to be lazy. We were so concerned about what might happen, that we prevented anything from happening. It’s like that scene in Finding Nemo.

Marlin: I promised I’d never let anything happen to him.
Dory: Hmm. That’s a funny thing to promise.
Marlin: What?
Dory: Well, you can’t never let anything happen to him. Then nothing would ever happen to him. Not much fun for little Harpo.

Not much fun for Mom & Dad either.That was until we looked the situation dead in the face and said “No more!”

I love my daughter, so much. She’s not a bad kid; not at ALL! She just needed a push in the right direction.  And now we just need to pray that with our push, she makes good decisions based on the faith and trust she has in the Lord, and the foundation we have given her all during her growing up years.

Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. Psalm 31:3

Raising kids can be fun, wonderful, and challenging. Preparing a teenager for adulthood can be downright crazy! Without the Lord, we would be so lost. You simply cannot live under the fear of What If.

This post linked to iFellowship, and Word-Filled Wednesday! If this is your first time visiting, welcome! Don’t miss a post! Please Subscribe by Email, Follow me on Twitter, or Like Me on Facebook!