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Fri 12/1
When you faced your own fear, think about how you reacted. Did you let your fear get in the way of your faith? Did your fear take center stage, shoving faith off to the side?
Yes
No
Story
Focus on the Outcomes
By: Erin Janoso
I gripped my armrest as our plane lurched suddenly up and then down. The seatbelt light dinged overhead. I glanced over to check my five-year-old daughter’s belt.
“Ooh Mom!” she said. “That was fun!
I smiled at her, remembering how, not that long ago, even the slightest turbulence would send me into panic mode. I hadn’t always been afraid of flying. As a child, I remembered enjoying it, as Aurora was now. But somewhere along the way, fear crept in. When flying, and honestly, in most other things too, worrying felt like something I could do to help keep us safe. It was as though I was showing God I knew how fragile my life was.
My husband opened my eyes to the folly of this idea. “You focus on outcomes opposite of the ones you’re praying for,” he pointed out. He was right. I prayed fervently to God to keep us
safe and then spent the rest of every flight sure we would crash
Where was the faith in that? So I changed my airplane prayers.
I still asked for safety. But I started asking for help with my fear as well. When things got bumpy, I stopped indulging in thoughts of catastrophe, and I worked hard to at least pretend
my stomach wasn’t in my throat.
Eventually, I realized I wasn’t pretending as often. Those menacing bumps and shudders weren’t as terrifying as they’d once been. I still didn’t like turbulence, but I no longer believed
it meant a crash was imminent.
Our plane shook again, and Aurora patted her tummy, a big grin on her face. “These bumps tickle!” she said. “They kinda do, don’t they?” I answered, and we laughed together.
Story
Story Title
Author Name, Organization Name
—rower Roz Savage
“Be mindful of the link between action and outcome. Ask yourself: ‘If I repeat today’s action 365 times, will I be where I want to be in a year?’”
Training to be the first solo woman to row across the Pacific Ocean from California to Australia
Reflect
What will you do the next time you are afraid and feel disconnected from your faith?
I will start a habit of being hopeful, so I eventually change my instincts to focus on faith first.
I will keep my attention on the best-case scenario instead of the worst-case scenario.
I will pray to God for comfort and keep the hopefulness of this prayer front and center in my thoughts.
May God’s love encourage and guide your steps today. We’ll see you again soon!
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