I am a wee bit of a scaredy cat. In the spirit of full disclosure, I am a lot of a scaredy cat. If you hear someone say, ” I heard Courtnay Aycock was bungee jumping or roller coaster riding or eating raw sushi, or didn’t wash her hands after she used the bathroom,” just grab a fire extinguisher and chase them down. Their pants are indeed, on fire…

Now, I will take a risk, if it is within reason. I think I double dipped a chip at a party one time. Maybe twice. Not the same chip; give me a break here. It was on two different occasions. I don’t like things that purposely create fear. I have never watched a horror movie and never been in a haunted house. This was no small feat throughout my adolescent years. My friends were relentless in their provoking and prodding. I didn’t do it because I simply knew I would be a non-functioning human being if I did. My grandmother used to tell people how emotional I would get when I would watch the Roadrunner. The Roadrunner. I would get so afraid that mean Coyote would hurt him and be so afraid that I would cry. I cried at the Roadrunner. Do you think I could handle some Nightmare on a Street??

You may be thinking that you wish you didn’t know me this well right now, laughing out loud, or rolling your eyes. I am not at all bothered by any of those responses. I am old enough to finally be comfortable with being one of the most sensitive people that I know. David described my love/hate relationship with this God given part of me perfectly when he said, ” Your greatest strength can be your greatest weakness.” Until I learned to embrace that truth, I secretly detested that I cried easily, felt deeply, and could feel fear that could be crippling.

That is where my faith is intertwined in my DNA. I have not stopped feeling fear or being a sensitive soul. But I have trusted that the one that created me can use these parts of me to do His work. This personality that He gave me is a gift in His hands. It is a mess in mine. I have to be wise, which is why I use the free will that God gave me to make good decisions about what I watch and what I do.

For example, if you are a sensitive person like me, are you watching the news non-stop? (Mercy, I don’t know a single person with the mental fortitude for that  on a good day). Are you constantly on social media? Are you wise with who you share your concerns with? Do you have some people that bring encouragement and prayer into your life, or do they take you into a deeper valley of despair?

I wanted to give you some verses to meditate on because the world is churning up fear like a Purell factory is trying to produce hand sanitizer these days…

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4

The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1

I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Psalm 34:4

The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Psalm 34:7

Be strong and be wise, my friends. These fears, but not this faith, shall pass.