It’s Okay to Be Afraid, But Face the Battle

It's Okay to Be Afraid, But Face the Battle.

Be a single mom who lives courageously! Learn how to handle fear!

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 KJV

Raw Courage.

It’s something we don’t see every day.

Regarding courage, we think of Navy Seals, police officers, or some modern-day hero.

Some stories we hear leave us in awe and inspire us. Courage spreads.

Great examples of this may be hard to find.

by Noah Sauve from Getty Images via Canva

But we all know how fear looks and feels. 

The pit in our stomach that doesn’t leave.

The dad, struggling with addiction, decides that the battle isn’t worth it and takes his own life.

A wife gets hit again because she’s too afraid to leave.

It’s everywhere. It’s in me.

What we don’t know is how to handle fear.

And examples of courage are needed.

I need to see what it means in the everyday world.

In our single mom battles, we face court dates, financial obligations we can’t meet, aggressive exes, and hurting kids. The struggles are real. 

How are we to face our battles? I want to meet them with strength, quietness, and dignity.

But the truth is, I haven’t faced other scary battles in this manner. 

I wonder how to be courageous and do the next scary battle differently.

First, we need to remember that we are not alone. God is with us. 

Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6

“…If God is with us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31

He’s not going anywhere. When the big bad wolf knocks on the door, he’ll answer it with us.

And the good news is, he is the best kind of bodyguard. We work with him to create an acceptable outcome. We go through challenges with him. “He will never leave us or forsake us.”

by EvThomas from Getty Images via Canva

Then we remember our freedom. It’s worth a fight.

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1

I’ve spent enough time in bondage and slavery to know I never want to return.

And finally, we know the truth.

Focusing on hope is one way to know the truth.

https://www.singlemomoutwest.com/faith-for-single-moms/how-to-feel-more-positive/

When we hold fast to the truth, we know why we do what we do. 

We know that if we don’t practice courage, we risk becoming will eventually destroy us. When we are afraid to face something, we allow things into our lives that will destroy us.

If we are so scared to look at our weight, finances, failing schools, or children’s destructive choices, we accept things that ruin our and our children’s futures. 

Freedom is the reason we should face the battle. We give up freedom and options when we give into fear. We cannot see the healthy choices we can make.

Some battles are worth fighting.

by GCapture from Getty Images via Canva

Hold fast to the truth. It is our anchor to courage.

We are short on time and energy. We are messy and a bit worn from the struggle of being a single parent. But we can know the truth and hold fast to it.

We may not consider ourselves women of courage, but we can be women of truth. And that is a perfect place to start.

Courageous people are courageous in every area of their lives. They’ve lived in truth and courage long before anyone notices them.

It’s part of their integrity.

Please consider these additional verses as you work on handling the fear in your life.

https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/fear-bible-verses/#:~:text=Top%20Bible%20Verses%20about%20Fear,and%20love%20and%20self%2Dcontrol.