Horror Story

 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

2 Timothy 1:7

When I was eleven years old, I took my best friend up on a dare. It was to watch the classic horror film, “The Exorcist.” Yeah. I immediately regretted that decision the minute the character of Regan started doing some seriously demonic a-turning. The character spun her head all the way around, spit pea soup and levitated off from her bed. Good times. For the next two hours, I tried to save face in front of my friend, making excuses to leave the room as much as I could. I got a lot of sodas, popcorn and napkins. The actress Linda Blair was just too convincing as a demon possessed girl.

And I was thoroughly convinced, not by the makeup or the special effects, but by my fear.

Fear: yes, here we go.

This time of year, with Halloween as the focal point, it’s all about creating and maximizing the fear. Costumes, makeup, decorations, haunted houses and scary movies abound. It’s about being frightening.

However, unfortunately, fear is not restricted to that holiday once a year. We are faced with the issue on a daily basis. How many of us, driven by fear, trying to escape fear, turn to our addictions, compulsions and disorders, in an effort to cope with our own “horror story?” Perhaps the fear of not being good enough, of living through a painful trauma or simply facing our real selves keep us stuck believing a convincing lie. We are thoroughly convinced we’re hopeless, doomed and/or destined to continue a destructive destiny. We play “what if” games as we play chicken with our fears. Like my less than stellar childhood decision to watch “The Exorcist,” we can take up the dare to participate in a regrettable decision, letting curiosity get us into a situation we then try and find an excuse, any excuse, to flee from.

All why? Is it because we’re convinced of the scary belief’s power? Do we believe our own addictions and dysfunctions are more real and powerful than God, Himself in our lives?

When I was that eleven year old girl, part of why “The Exorcist” resonated so strongly with me was because I related too much with the Linda Blair character of Regan. She was twelve or thirteen years old, close to my age. So, even though I knew it was an actress playing a character, I still became convinced this demonic possession could happen to me. I let my fear dictate the terms.  Forget about God: His love, His protection and His help. Nope. I only believed the worst case scenario. So, any minute now, I’d be spitting up some pea soup?

There’s a commonly used acronym to spell out the word fear: “false evidence appearing real.” What have we determined to be real for ourselves, so real, it’s scary? Do we see ourselves as only failures? As only addicted? As people who are worthless and unloved? As people who are too much or not enough?

In those insecure questions, where is God in the context of our horror story? If He’s nonexistent, unloving, disinterested or even hateful, then yes, we have problems, bigger problems than Linda Blair levitating off the bed.

But God is extremely passionate and protective in His love for us.

“…‘Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”

                                                             Jeremiah 31:3             

“‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,’ says the Lord, ‘thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.’”

Jeremiah 29:11

What are we dwelling on? There’s a theory stating what we focus on the most becomes the most prominent in our lives. So, if we allow that to be our monsters and our fears, isn’t it inevitable these issues would loom the largest in our circumstances?

“For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.”

Job 3:25

Do we have more faith in God or more faith in our fears coming true? Again, where’s the focus? A significant part of our recovery is the surrender to a powerful God, Who is able to do what we cannot.

“Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?”

Jeremiah 32:27

And that includes our horror stories, whatever they may be.

Nothing will separate us from God’s love, because of Jesus!

 “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:38-39

When I was a kid, I made the poor choice to tap into the fear of “The Exorcist;” it became the dominant truth in my pre-adolescent life. But then, life moved on and (hopefully), I grew up a bit. Now I see there’s more to life than our thoughts, fears and conclusions; there is God!

And that need not be a scary thing, either. Let God be your answer to your every fear! Let God into your horror story!

Copyright © 2018 by Sheryle Cruse