Last Holiday

"Next time you will laugh more, you will love more... just won't be so afraid."

Geogia Burke lives a mundane life whilst dreaming of an awesome life filled with possibilities. She does all of what is considered "sensible"; she smiles and waves, she grins and bears, she saves her money and in her spare time she keeps a scrapbook of the life that she wish she had instead; the book of possibilities. Of course she is a nice person and a good friend; she's just not all that she can be, and deep down she knows it. While flirting with a handsome fellow employee, she hits her head. The result of the CAT scan changes everything: she has several brain tumors and only three weeks left to live. (I don't know about you, but I can't even begin to imagine how you handle news like that.)

So she does what any "sensible" woman would do in her position:
she quits the job that was taking her nowhere anyway, she withdraws her life savings and decide to go on that dream holiday - a trip to the Grandhotel Pupp in the spa city of Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic. She decides to make it a worthwhile three weeks in every possible way! She speaks her mind sincerely when she's asked, she tries new things (like snowboarding, base jumping and winning a small fortune at the roulette table), she meets new friends, which leads to new opportunities and along the way she finds herself; really meets herself for the very first time.

At the end of it - at first - she's a bit sad that the good life she's now so bravely discovered won't last long, but then she also comes to a place of acceptance, and as she gets ready for the New Years' party, she looks at herself in the mirror with these wise words... "Next time you will laugh more, you will love more... just won't be so afraid."    

LOVED IT!

Fear spins a pretty tight web, doesn't it? If it gets hold of you it can chew you up and spit you out. It can suck the life right out of you... if you let it. If you let it, it will steal your joy, your laughter, your vision, your dreams for a better future. It will make you think that where you are is where you'll always be. It will steal your hope.  It is then that I am reminded of the 365 times that God says in His Word: "don't be afraid". He knew what He was getting when he got you and I. He knew that we would need a constant reminder, so He patiently, lovingly keeps saying it so that we may come around to believing that He means business with you and I.

The key to God's promises becoming our reality, though, is that we believe. Without faith it is not God that turns into a liar. Without faith it is not that good things are only intended for "others". Without faith it is not that this "religion 'thing' don't work anyway". Without our faith it is us stopping the good that God has planned for us from manifesting in every area of our lives.

So God tells us to renew our minds daily. He tells us to stop thinking the old way and start thinking a new. I've heard it said that it takes 21 days of repeating something to form a new habit, but just in case God tells us three hundred and sixty five times: do not be afraid - one time for every day of the year. Can you imagine what would happen if we would take a hold of what He says and pursue it with all our hearts? Have you ever wondered who you could be, or what you would be capable of if you were not crippled by fear; a captive of its torment?

I find that I would feel afraid and discouraged, I'd hear God telling me to not be afraid, I'd feel very encouraged, very loved, but then the next day I'd feel afraid again. I believe that the root of our fear is in not fully knowing just how much God loves us. The Bible says that "there is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love's complete perfection].

If we could understand just how long, how deep, how wide and how high His love for us really is I don't think that we would be afraid for one second that He would ever disappoint us when we call on Him, or not provide when we have a need and we asked Him, or not help us when we're in trouble, or not show us the way when we are lost. If we fully understood His love for us I don't think we'd question what He says or His promises to us. We would know that love is patient, love is kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude; that love does not demand its own way, is not irritable or touchy, never holds grudges and hardly even notice when others do it wrong. It is not glad about injustice. It is loyal, it believes in, and expects the best. Only God can love this perfectly - and He does! He is love!

Georgia finds out that she has a second chance on life and then she makes sure to grab it with both hands; she got to have her "next time", but most are not that lucky. Now is the time to live; Now is the time to decide to stop being afraid; to be more determined to press in for the life that God has prepared for us.

So what are you afraid of? Isn't it time that we exchange our fear for faith? Just imagine what you could be capable of...