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Facing Fear and Finding Peace

Isn't it funny how a topic can take a journey from discussion to action? My son and his friends have been kayaking for a little while. The area we live in has a river that runs nearby and through the years has brought our family many enjoyable hours of walking, swimming and fishing. My husband will bring up the idea of kayaking every now and again, but we have never taken any action toward it. This week, in the mail came a Bass Pro shop sale catalog and guess what was on the front page?  Yep...a kayak...on sale!  As he pondered making a purchase, we decided to test drive a kayak trip with our son and some borrowed kayaks.

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Saturday came with perfect weather! As we planned our trip down the river excitement brewed for a new experience....until someone mentioned that the river was high. A high river, means a strong current which means danger if a kayak capsized. This would be my first time ever kayaking and I would have my own to maneuver. Fear and worry about the 'what ifs' began to churn in my mind. I was tempted to quickly opt out, but pushing ahead with lots of prayer, off we went.

It was smooth getting into the water and even though the guys didn't trust me to have anything in my kayak at first for fear I would tip, I felt confident and ready! The river was high, but not dangerous. When I pushed my fears down, with new eyes, the beauty of nature unfolded. Brilliant blue skies above, green trees overhead filled with singing birds, a pleasant breeze and smooth water. This was a perfect place of peace for the soul. In the stillness of my heart I realized I almost missed this experience due to fearing the unknown. 

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There is something so beautiful about nature that reveals our loving Heavenly Father to us. “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” (Psalm 19:1-4) 

Drifting down the river, embracing the beauty of God's creation my heart stilled and found peace and restoration. Fear is a thief, worry brings anxiety to our life and if not contained, they can quickly overcome.  Pushing past the worry and not allowing fear to stop us is the first step to true peace. Instead, choosing to put our focus on the goodness of God and His gifts help get our heart in sync with His which brings us to a beautiful place of peace and joy. 

 Isaiah 26:3 "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.
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