One of my favourite book titles – ever – is “Feel the fear and do it anyway”.

Now along comes a jewellery maker (Crowning Jewels), who makes pieces inspired by words and promises of God – to remind the wearer of their calling and words/promises of God – and writes a great blog post about going beyond fear.

(below: Bethany Necklace: Unshakable Champion.  https://www.thecrowningjewels.com)

This necklace is for someone who is pushing past their fear. With each step that they take, it is losing its hold on them. It says: I am fighting for what is mine and I am winning (antler), I am fearless, I walk in increasing authority (key), I am unshakable,and I am fiercely loved and known (heart).

In a blog post, she talks of how she was impacted by seeing the film “The Lady in the Van”.  The character in the movie is a real-life woman whose life was incredibly damaged by fear in 2 instances:

1. she was a gifted and internationally trained concert pianist who became a nun and was told by a superior not to play, denying her great God-given gift.  She stopped playing but eventually withdrew from the convent.
2. she was involved in an accident in which a cyclist died – not her fault – but she panicked and went on the run – and a policeman preyed on her fear and blackmailed her for the rest of her life not to disclose her location.

The lady jeweller who saw the film and was impacted, expressed this truth:

“One of the things that has helped me has been learning how to separate my feelings from truth.  Our feelings are valid, and part of our emotional being, but they don’t always speak the truth to us.  I’ve found that often whenever I’m feeling bad (fearful, hurt, etc.) I’m believing a lie.  If we don’t address these lies early on, they create wounds and lead to unforgiveness, resentment,  and ultimately bitterness.  The lies can sound like:

·      I’m not powerful to change this situation.

·      Because they hurt me, I’ll always be hurt in situations like this.

·      I’m a victim.

·      If I share my heart, they’ll stomp all over it.

·      I’ll never be able to change this situation because they’re more powerful than me.

·      They don’t like me.”

(https://www.thecrowningjewels.com/blog2/2016/5/17/just-do-it)

So today the invitation is to consider what little lies our emotions are telling us?

And deal with them now, bring them to the light and replace them with the light of the truth of God and his words of strength which are everlastingly true.