Anticipation
In his book Extreme Fear Jeff Wise tells of his experience of making his first parachute jump. He said ‘the most stressful part of the whole experience, was the immediate anticipation. Compared to that, free- falling was a relief! For humans, uncertainty in the face of danger magnifies stress by forcing a person to think about a wide range of possible outcomes and weigh the possible strategies for dealing with those outcomes. It also allows worst- case scenario thinking that can detract from useful problem- solving. A key early step to combating fear is to find out as much information as possible about the threat at hand and to remember that when we are afraid God is with us and there to be found in the situation. Invite someone to take a closer look at Christ and his church.
