We are in a
strange time as a TBC Church Family. While it is exciting, it is also stressful and a myriad of other
emotions, all rolled up into one. God has blessed us as a body in abundance. There are so many changes in front of us...and even today we will have
a meeting with group to possibly negotiate with in regard to a new
facility. We have had changes in our schedule, in the way we conduct our events and, this Sunday we will vote to approve our new statement of faith (1833
New Hampshire Baptist Confession) along
with our new church covenant.
Change can be exciting but it can also make us
feel uneasy at best, or down right terrified at worse. Many people are more panicked over change in their daily lives than over life ending! Over the last
year - actually over the last 3 years I, as
well as most of the people in our church, have run the course of all of these
emotions. In the midst of this we have met, searched, prayed, talked, stayed
awake at night and a whole of lot of other things... but in the midst of this,
here is what I realized: the fear or anxiety I feel can serve as a portal to a
wonderful spiritual reality. The reality is that I was never intended to be
self-reliant. By design we are all needy. The idea of me being "independent" is
foreign to the Word, in fact real maturity is becoming MORE DEPENDENT on Christ and less independent. Independence only works during good and
peaceful times and it falls apart when “life” hits. The reality is that tough times and bad
things are going to happen. Things that I dread may actually be a reality for me, my
family and this church body... even as I write this, a knot has formed in my stomach.
In his book Fear, Worry, and the God of Rest, Dr. Ed Welch says,
“Another way of expressing our personal vulnerability is through our experience of need. There is a close connection between what we fear and what we think we need. If we need comfort, we will fear physical pain. If we need approval from others, we will fear being criticized. If we need love we will fear rejection….Whatever your need is a mere stone’s throw from what you fear.”
“Another way of expressing our personal vulnerability is through our experience of need. There is a close connection between what we fear and what we think we need. If we need comfort, we will fear physical pain. If we need approval from others, we will fear being criticized. If we need love we will fear rejection….Whatever your need is a mere stone’s throw from what you fear.”
