Facing Fear Series…

A Guest post by Susan B. Mead at SusanBMead.com

The top two fears are death/dying and public speaking according to Statistic Brain Research Institute. I can address both of those, I thought, as I love speaking and having lost a son, the fear of death for myself is gone. I know where I’ll be and it’s lovely.

So I said sure – I’ll write a post about overcoming the fear of death and dying for your overcoming fear series, Valerie.How in the world does one overcome the fear of death and dying? For me, it was the loss of my 20-year-old college-aged son, Kyle. I no longer feared death or dying – for myself – after losing him.

But how do you overcome the fear of death or dying…are you asking yourself that question?

God is good even when circumstances are not. God’s so gracious; He gave me a beautiful dream the morning of Kyle’s service. In the dream, I saw Kyle dancing with Jesus, then the picture below two days later. May I share that simply erased all fear of death for Kyle and for myself as it comforted me so exquisitely.

The top two fears are death/dying and public speaking according to Statistic Brain Research Institute. So how does one overcome the fear of death? The 3 steps in this post are a good guide as you face the fear of death head-on.

God’s word promises He will comfort those who mourn. I can attest to the truth of His Holy Words about comfort. God actually says we are blessed. His presence is sufficient for all situations, including the loss of someone near and dear to you.

His presence is sufficient for all situations, including the loss of someone near and dear to you. Click To Tweet

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Matthew 5:4 (NIV)

If you have loved and lost, take comfort. Look into the Word of God, seeking solace. It abounds!

The three things that impacted me most powerfully, enabling me to face death and dying fearlessly for my son and myself, follow. I pray these steps guide you into a fearless place as well.

1-The Word of God.

The Bible is full of comforting words. I used BibleGateway.com to perform word searches to find scripture to fill my heart and mind with Biblical truth. Words like comfort, mourn, death, dying, hope, life, light, etc. were searched so I could find solace in the Holy Word of God.

2-Renew my mind daily.

The Bible instructs us to renew our minds daily, so I did. How I felt could only be changed with new insight. The Scriptures not only gave me God’s Truth, they renewed my mind. As I renewed my mind, comfort came – in bucket loads!

3-Look to others who have loved, lost and are living joyfully again.

I realized as I looked within myself, my world remained very dark, scary and alone. I felt compelled to look up outside of myself. Doing that, I realized the longer I looked down at my feet, the longer I felt defeated and afraid – of everything.

Looking up allowed me to see a little bit of light shining into my dark situation. Following that light let me see others who had lost loved ones and were living full, joy-filled lives. And I wanted what they had, so I inquired what made a difference for them.

The common thread woven through all the stories was faith and belief in God, the God of all comfort.

When we believe in God and trust that He has our loved one in Paradise, we are comforted. Click To Tweet

When we believe God will hold our hand and walk us into His green pastures, we are comforted, consoled and cared for in such a way that our heart skips a beat with joy.

And that, my dear friend, is when two steps forward and one back are not a setback in your life. That’s when we begin to dance with Jesus, one loving step at a time – forward two steps, back one, repeat, all the while lovingly held close to the heartbeat of God and His Son, Jesus.

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
Psalm 30:11 (NKJV)

The top two fears are death/dying and public speaking according to Statistic Brain Research Institute. So how does one overcome the fear of death? The 3 steps outlined in this post will guide you to overcome the fear of death.

So do not mourn. Do not fear death. God's Word promises He will turn it into dancing and gladness. Click To Tweet

That’s how this woman moved from frozen in fear of death to becoming a woman in AWE of God. Would you like to experience such an abiding awe for God that you too no longer fear death?

Today my sister let me know that Dad wants no more intervention, no more tests, no more medical steps. Dad said, “Let nature take its course.”

The course? Cancer. Metastasized. Body parts protruding into places they should not be, yet there they are, body fluids misbehaving, pain packing a one-two punch. Yes, death is staring us in the face and it’s ugly.

Yet Dad knows where he will go – the Heavenly streets paved in gold.

He knows His Lord God Almighty. So I praise God that He will hold Dad’s hand. I pray pain will be removed. I pray that I truly have overcome the fear of dying and that you do too.

I shall follow these three steps myself to see God’s plan for my dad, to renew my mind daily and to see others who have loved and lost, yet are living a joy-filled life, worshiping our Holy Lord God Almighty.

I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. Revelation 1:18

This is the Good News! Christ lived and died for us, overcoming death so we can live eternally with Him. What do we have to fear?

And I shall linger a little longer with my dad. Oh, yea, with my Heavenly Dad too. Now I know why God dropped the word linger into my spirit for 2016.

May the dance of life – eternal life – begin as I face the fear of death head-on, lingering in God’s comforting Word and walking hand-in-hand with Jesus. Or is that dancing, two steps forward, one back? Would you join me, please?

Susan B Mead

Susan B. Mead, author, survivor, and an individual who has dealt with multiple losses, is an empathetic, powerful, sought-after speaker with real answers. Susan is a Senior Ordained Chaplain, Certified by the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, for individuals and groups suffering trauma.

Susan’s best-selling book Dance with Jesus: From Grief to Grace, is available on Amazon.

Susan tweets @SusanBMead, posts scripture graphics daily on Facebook and Instagram, blogs and hosts the DanceWithJesus blog linkup each Friday at SusanBMead.com. Get connected!

 


Susan, your post brought such a sense of peace and calm to me! I know your strong faith will be an inspiration to others who are afraid of death/dying or who are struggling in grief. Thank you for your message of hope to those who are hurting! Your book was so good, I read it in one sitting!  I appreciate your friendship and participation in this series.

 


I would love for you to visit the previous posts in the facing fear series:

1. The Unexpected Cure for Fear: Fighting Fire with Fire

2. How to Face Your Fears One Step at a Time

3. When the Fear of Separation Feels Overwhelming

4. How Can You Overcome the Fear of Public Speaking?

5. You Can Be Free of Fear

Would you do me a favor? If you enjoy these posts would you like my FB page? I would love to be able to reach more people with the good news of Christ!

 

 

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