Do you ever have some new Truth ringing in your heart and head and begin to see it everywhere? That word, that idea, that thought on every billboard, in every sermon and through every conversation?

For me, it was the word character. A couple of years ago, I was telling God (read: complaining) about the hard season I was in and how I wish it were over. As if He didn’t already know both of those things. I decided to flip back through my journal, and as I began to read the things He had said to me over the few weeks prior, I saw a common thread running through. In nearly every one of those conversations, He had mentioned the word character. 

Holiness is hard and difficult to obtain because it requires denying your flesh. That can be painful at times. But it reaps a harvest of character that is not otherwise possible. 

Keep your eyes on Me, and the things that are painful won’t be quite so hard.

So being the disciplined Bible scholar I am, I turned to the concordance and looked up the singular verse listed under the word Character. And this is what I found.

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:3-5

Now, I’ve read this verse, I don’t know, maybe a million times. I’ve heard it preached on, seen it emblazoned on cute journals, and the topic of youth camps in summers past. But when I read it this time, knee deep in “sufferings” and knowing what He told me about character, I just about fell off the couch.

Then of course, that week I walked in to my new Bible study group and grabbed the study book. The topic: Romans 5:3-5. It was everywhere for me right then.

In those moments, when the Lord is obviously sending me a very clear lesson, I want to be a very present student. I want to have my eyes locked on His, so as not to miss the Word of the moment.

If we choose to look the other way or continue to languish in the suffering without looking to Jesus, we will miss the opportunity He’s offering. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want one mite of suffering to be without purpose and produce. I know that the Lord did not cause my suffering, but He wants to teach me through it. He, and only He, can make good on it and turn it into my moment of greatest victory.

That verse says that we rejoice in our sufferings. When was the last time that you ran into a hard situation and said, “YES! This is awesome!” That’s hard to even imagine, much less be equipped to accomplish. 

The root of that word rejoice is the word for neck: the thing holding the head high. We are to hold our heads proud when we suffer, knowing as we yield to the Lord, He will produce in us the ability to look more like Him. The Holy Spirit grows us in character, which looks like love toward our enemies, abiding joy in disappointment, peace through tumult, patience in trials, kindness , goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The fruit of the Spirit.

So what does this look like? It means entering in, directly into the suffering and asking God where He is in it.

So I began to inquire of the Lord. What does character look like to You? What would it look like displayed in me? How will it change my perspective on suffering? How will it affect my hope and cause me to grow in hope?

What part of my attitude or actions or beliefs can I yield to You to change for the better as I walk this out?

The answers to those questions will determine how I walk through this season. And not just the answers themselves but the One who answers. My choice to turn my face to Jesus, to see Him and His heart in the midst of this, and then lean deeper into my relationship with Him, will change everything. He will always exceed my expectations. 

Sarah and I were strolling the cobblestone sidewalk, enjoying the sunshine by the waterfront, when she saw the birds. A flock of pigeons had gathered at the other end of the sidewalk, pecking and squawking. In her 3-year-old mind, it was, in fact, the end of the world.

She began wailing at the top of her little lungs, tears streaming down her cheeks in full blown panic. 

“It’s okay.” I told her in my soothing voice. “They’re not going to bother us!” 

I was sure she was worried they would fly near us and pester her or worse, steal her snacks. But I pressed in to ask, “Why are you afraid of the birds, Sarah?” And she told me her reality.

“They’re going to EAT MEEEEE!” she wailed. 

I knew full well these birds wouldn’t eat her and that it was irrational to believe so, but in her little world that was the only reality. She was frozen in fear, her feet glued to the stony ground.

“Come on,” I beckoned, “Let’s go the other way.” Her breaths were still coming rapidly and the tears falling freely, but she stopped a moment and took a deep breath. And then, I watched her do a remarkable thing. She spoke truth to herself.

“I’m safe,” she said aloud. And then she began to walk.

Fears of any size can paralyze us. No matter how irrational, when anxiety rears its ugly head we believe it may just gobble us up. Fear has real repercussions on our physical bodies, often causing us to breathe faster, our heart rate to rise, our vessels to constrict, and our glands to pour sweat. It can even cause lightheadedness and nausea. 

How interesting that a belief in the mind can so dramatically affect our physical bodies. I saw it firsthand in Sarah that day as she froze in panic.

These physical symptoms begin by encountering a fear and believing a lie behind it.

Personally, I often find myself fearing the unknown, anxiety rising when I sense something is out of my control. Why? I believe the lie that it’s all up to me. 

Maybe for you it’s a different lie. It could be a lie of regret: “If only I had…” Or one of shame: “I’ll never be able to…” Or fear of loss: “I could never survive if…”

There are several reasons we are not supposed to live in fear. The first is that it distorts our reality. 

When we live in fear, we live as though the feared thing is reality.

We are already living, either mentally or even physically, with the consequences as though the feared thing has happened.

The second reason we aren’t supposed to live in fear: it’s a command.

Isaiah 41:10 says, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Jesus commanded us not to live in fear, and not to let anxiety and worry plague our days. 

He said in Matthew 6:34, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

It hit me recently why we are not supposed to worry about tomorrow. Lamentations 3:23 says that the Lord gives us new mercies every morning. We aren’t supposed to worry about tomorrow because we don’t have the grace and mercy yet for tomorrow! We will get the mercy for each day on that day. What a neat thought. The Lord will prepare us each day for what that day brings.

The last reason we aren’t supposed to worry and live in fear is that it doesn’t work!

The Word says that trusting in the Lord and keeping our eyes on Him is what truly works to steady our days and still our anxious hearts.

Isaiah 26:3 (NLT) “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”

Psalm 118:6-7 “The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.  What can man do to me?  The Lord is with me; he is my helper.”

Let’s commit today, friends, to hand our worries and fears to the Lord. Let’s ask Him what He has for us and who He wants to be to us today. He meets every need and fills every longing. We need only ask. His truth will minister to those places of fear in our hearts and minds and root us in the very real and true reality of His goodness to us.