CityView Magazine

18 | April 2020 W F A I T H Tranform Fear into Faith BY CRAIG MORRISON W hen you face times of difficulty, uncertainty, discomfort, heartache, pain, disappointment and fear, where do you turn to find solace, peace and reassurance? Seriously, take a few moments to reflect on the events of the past several weeks and learn from what you have experienced. Howard Hendricks, the renown Dallas eological professor once said, "Experience is not the best teacher; evaluated experience is." I'm writing this just as the COVID-19 is cranking up here in the United States. Government officials, community organizations, churches and many others are making difficult decisions to limit the spread of this virus and shorten its impact. As Huffington Post reported, "Officials across the country curtailed many elements of American life to fight the coronavirus outbreak, with health officials recommending that groups of 50 or more don't get together and a government expert saying a 14-day national shutdown may be needed." A new hashtag, #CancelCulture, was created overnight. But what about you? How did you respond? If you're like me, your first reaction was probably one of disbelief. "is won't be that big of a deal," was one thought that raced through my head. But as things began to unfold, I started to realize that we're no longer in Kansas anymore. Life as we knew it won't be the same for the foreseeable future. Making major adjustments to our "normal" way of life is going to be an ongoing process. One of the things that encouraged me the most was seeing how various people responded with compassion, kindness and generosity in the face of fear and uncertainty. Inspired by a group in Australia, we decided to launch a Facebook group to solicit and connect people who need help with people who are willing to lend a helping hand. rough various churches and organizations such as Love Fayetteville and AsONE Fellowship, we saw people transform their fear into faith. People all over the city and county stopped jostling for rolls of toilet paper and started rolling up their sleeves to love their neighbors in practical ways. Do you have a spare box of pasta (or roll of TP!)? Can you lend a bicycle? Are you making a batch of soup to share? Are you happy to walk a dog or mow a lawn? Are you able to interpret the latest news into other languages? Do you have the know-how to set up a form of online connection for someone who is technologically challenged? Are you willing to pick up and deliver someone's groceries or deliver a hot meal to kids out of school? Something else? Hopefully the COVID-19 is long gone by the time you read this article, but let's not forget what we have learned. How can we continue to love well even when there's not a global pandemic on our doorsteps? Let's continue to transform our fear into a faithful response to be the church everywhere we live, learn, work and play. Here are a few other helpful articles related to coping with stress and anxiety! • https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/ managing-stress-anxiety.html • https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/stress-uncertainty • https://adaa.org/tips Craig Morrison is a certified Leadership & Life Younique Coach. He is co-founder of AsONE Fellowship. He has been married for 20 years, and he and his wife Laurie have two teenaged sons. Find out more at embarkleadership.com and speaklovewell.com.

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