(Vanity)The World is Big and Scary, and I am Small

I am 25 years old. That is pretty young, in the grand scheme of things. Still, I am an adult--I am married, I am a voter, I am a taxpayer...in short, I am a grown up.

But the recent news stories have reduced me to a cowering five-year-old, wanting to hide in my father's lap. But, I am a grown up now, and there is nobody's lap to hide in.

Watching the news stories, I keep thinking of my history classes. I remember being shocked at some of the things that happened in history, being offended by them, being glad that they were all in the past.

At 10 I thought communism was obsolete, since only China, North Korea, Vietnam, and Cuba were communist. I grew up in a haze of patriotic fervor and faith in the belief that America was the best country in the world and that nowhere else would give you more rights.

This is my plea to fellow Freepers--I don't know how to deal with these recent rulings. Our country is falling apart at the seams. My husband (who is going to be a pastor) and I have had conversations about what to do when the chips are down--we are talking about martyrdom. In America. Persecution.

I think that's why this recent Obamacare ruling has me so scared. This is why the gay movement / abortion lobby frightens me. These are the issues that are going to crack the church.

Today, it's paying for contraception. Soon, it's performing gay marriages whether you like it or not. How long until you get punished just for teaching that sin is sin? And once that has happened...how long until the central doctrine of Christianity is verboten?

I fear for my husband. I fear for our future children. I fear for the church. There is so much fear, and it is all around me.

This is America, you know? I always thought as a kid these were the fears I'd never have. America's government is now big and scary and menacing...and I am so very, very, small.

I know that God is in control of things, and I remind myself that He will defend His church no matter what, from age to age. But the persecution is coming--it's already here. I don't doubt that God is at my side and that He will be with me...

My go-to verse and these dark days I am trying to know it by heart, tied tightly so that this promise is with me when fear comes. God is always with His children. Shalom

Psalm 91

1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

5Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

9 Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.

16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

A little late, but I saw your subsequent post which led me to this one, and I just had to say ‘something’ - didn’t mean to write a novel, but once I got started, it just kept coming .... sorry if it sounds like a lecture, it’s not. This has been building for a long time and it seems your post was the straw that broke the camel’s back & opened the floodgate!

Like many other FReepers reading your post, I cried as well .... not only for you that you feel this way, but because I have my own fears and concerns for the country. My dad is a WWII vet - will be 90 in December. It pains me that he, who once fought for this country, has “given up”. He thinks the country is too far over the cliff to ever recover. A lot of it is his age, some depression from the drugs he’s on (congestive heart failure), and he’s so tired he just can’t fight any more, even mentally.

First and foremost, your faith in God is the most important thing and I believe you realize that. No matter what happens, your true home is in heaven with God. If those of us who believe in God are indeed martyred (and it may come to that), we will be in heaven with Him. For two years, I took care of an elderly lady friend who was in a nursing home (a bad one - I had to be there every day). She was suffering from respiratory failure and was a person of very strong faith. One day, the true reality of her situation hit her and she looked me in the eye and said “I’m going to die, aren’t I?” What do you say to that? I took a deep breath and told her “we’re all going to die one day, it’s just that you are going to die sooner rather than later, but you are going home to God and I envy you that.” She gave me the most beautiful smile, filled with peace and happiness and said “I can’t imagine how wonderful it will be to forever be in the presence of God’s love.” How simple, yet how profound. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a better definition of Heaven .... to forever be in the presence of God’s love. So when I get fearful, I know the end of whatever is coming, bad or good, will be to forever be with God and in the presence of his love. It is the ultimate comfort & if you have a true personal relationship with God, no one can ever take it away from you. Death is no longer to be feared because death will send you home and reunite you with God. If you are given a ‘choice’ of facing death or renouncing God ..... there is no choice and you can calmly face whatever comes.

Next, I read a book a couple of years ago called ‘George Washinton’s Sacred Fire’ by Peter Lilback. It is 900 pages and it changed my life. After reading that book, I believe God’s gift to humanity was George Washington and he had God’s guidance and help in founding this country. He made mistakes, he was human, but he was also a giant among men. I understand now why the country was founded the way it was: “one Nation, under God”. God has blessed this country so many times and so richly. What has happened? Gradually, the country has turned it’s face from God and turned to evil and wickedness. There is no other way to describe the killing of babies through abortion. There is no other way to describe the acceptance, even the celebration of the perversion of homosexuality. There is no other way to describe the promiscuousness that abounds and the destruction of the family. I could go on, but I know you know what I am talking about. My BIGGEST FEAR, aside from everything else which is plenty, is that God will turn his face away from our country. While living forever in the presence of God’s love is Heaven, living without the presence of God must surely be Hell. I believe we are teetering on the edge of God turning his face away. If we ask him not to, I don’t think he would deny us, which brings me to my next point.

I have seen and felt the power of prayer. Literally. I had a cousin who had a large tumor growing off a salivary gland and extending to the back of his skull. The surgery was going to be exceedingly tricky. A top cancer doctor, who was skilled in removing head/neck tumors accepted his case & was to remove the tumor. The Saturday before the surgery, my aunt & I (we drove for 2 days to be with him during the surgery) accompanied him to a gathering of a ‘small group’ from his church. Most were choir members, etc. We shared food and talked a while, then my cousin was asked to explain what would happen during the surgery. After that, one of the ladies, that I can only describe as a Prayer Warrior, prayed for my cousin. At the end of our little get-together, we all gathered around my cousin & put our hand(s) on him while various folks in the group prayed. As this happened, I suddenly felt something ...... it is indescribable, but I will do my best. It was definitely ‘warm’ and the power was incredible. It surged up my arm like an electric current, but without the tingling. I was immediately enveloped with peace and calm (I’d been crying quietly) and felt like someone had walked up behind me and wrapped me in their very strong arms and a warm blanket. I know it was the power of prayer and the presence of God I felt that night. On Monday, my cousin had his surgery. The OR was scheduled for 6 hours. After 3 hours, the surgeon came to talk to us with a big smile - all over, the tumor “popped out” when he finished his incision. No facial paralysis, no trach required, no stroke .... when my cousin’s wife mentioned that people from all over the world had been praying for my cousin, the doc turned and gave the most wonderful, ‘knowing’ smile and said “I could tell.”. Full recovery, benign tumor .... God is good and he was with us all and saw my cousin safely through.

The power of prayer .... Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” Surely you have family or friends that think/feel/believe as you do. Start a prayer group ..... if you can’t physically meet, then pray at the same time together. Maybe share your prayers with each other over e-mail. You could start a daily/weekly/monthly prayer thread here on FR. I have done that during times when I needed to talk to God and ask him for his help. I also NEEDED the fellowship of other believers and FReepers. The community of like-minded, good, decent, conservative folks here at FR have saved my sanity more than once and I believe with your post you are finding out just how good the FR community really is. It is a blessing (thank you Jim R.!). Pray ..... if we all who believe would do this, we WILL see results. Sometimes the answer God gives isn’t the one we want to hear, but he is listening. Ask him not to turn away from the country, to continue to bless us. When I was dealing with the horrible situation my friend was in at the nursing home, there were times I literally screamed out loud and realizing yet again I could not do it ‘alone’ and I was not alone, I would pray to God for help. I found that if I asked for the ‘strength, wisdom, and calm’ to deal with the situation, my prayer was answered almost immediately and often, something specific would happen (ex. someone called 15 minutes later out of the blue to offer desperately needed help). God heard me, he helped me, he answered my prayers.

The power of ‘action’. My mom (also elderly) suffered a mysterious leg problem and initially could not walk, then only with difficulty. She was sitting at home, depressed, wishing she could be in the yard working on her flower gardens, etc. Her doctor was encouraging PT, but mom wasn’t going to do it. I encouraged her to do it, even made the phone calls to set it up because instead of sitting and thinking about it, she could DO something about it. She went to PT, worked hard, DID something and saw improvement within days (her mental state improved immediately). As I write this, she’s out working on her flowers again. Starting a prayer group where you get interraction and support is DOING something. You may also do MORE. Join a local Tea Party group or any other group that shares your beliefs & is willing to go to work to save the country - you don’t have to ‘march’, you can help out in other ways. Get friends to join you if you can. Get involved in the process. It is up to us to take back the country. The government is to be ‘by the people, for the people’. It has become ‘by politicians, for politicians’. We seem to have forgotten that WE elect those folks. We elect crooks, liars, cheats, then turn them loose with the fate of the country in their hands and do not hold them accountable. We (the people as a whole) voted in the congresscritters & Obama - we need to fix the mess we allowed. If enough people with values, faith and conviction get involved, we can stop this. We can turn it around and with the help of God, we can get our country back.

I think it is easy to say ‘what can I do, I am only one person’. You do what you can do ...... as ‘freedommom’s’ dad (on the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor) said: “everyone did whatever they were big enough to do......” You and I and many others may feel ‘small’ and ‘scared’ - I’m sure he did too at that moment, but if we all DO what we are “big enough to do”, we will defeat the powerful enemies who have gained a toe-hold in our country. My dad has given up and considering his condition, I can’t blame him for that - I’m just sickened that in his old age and after the service he gave to his country that he should feel this way & not have the peace of knowing the country is flourishing ‘under God’, the shining city on the hill for all the world to see. I am RESOLVED to take my ‘little’ self and DO something.

You are in my thoughts and prayers as is the country and the rest of the patriots that I know still have the fire of Liberty burning deep inside. We WILL prevail - GOD is still on OUR side ..... Onward Christian Soldiers (one of my favorite hymns)! God bless us all and may God continue to ‘let his face shine upon us’ and bless America.

Be at peace, friend, and please take heart, because there’s always hope no matter how dark the times and current circumstances may appear.

The world has always been a big and scary place for someone, somewhere, and it will always be so until the Lord’s return. But just as David was susceptible (a man after G-d’s own heart), we’re all vulnerable to the despair it brings at some time or another.

It seems every generation must experience some kind of turmoil – I don’t know why...maybe in order to keep things in perspective, cause us to turn to G-d, remind us of how awesome He is, and that He is still in control of this big and scary world.

But I understand your troubled heart and mind. I’ve been where you are many times. I’ve lived some of the scary times that you learned as history - and there are many others on this site who remember even worse times than I do - a place in history that is very remote to my lifetime.

And let’s never forget – as Americans we’ve lived through some very scary times in the very recent past.

But you know what? We all made it through. And we’ll make it through again, and again, and again…however many times we need to.

As you know, G-d is bigger than all of the events that trouble you (and us). What’s more, as dark as things may seem at times such as this, He has it all under control - never forget that.

So try not to give in to fear and worry because it will rob you of your joy. Despair will also rob you of the will to fight – and we are going to have to fight - as we’ve often had to do - because the enemy never sleeps.

But we shouldn’t be afraid of that! It should fill us all with strength and courage that our Lord also never sleeps - and He keeps watch over what belongs to Him.

We’ll always have changes in our world - but He never changes. That’s a promise. He also promised He would hear our faintest cry, so count on it and be strong in Him!

The Lord is Faithful and True - from the beginning of the world – to the end. Be at peace in Him.

OK, some of my thoughts. I put it as before, I'll be 46 next week. I remember the world vaguely of the late 1960's onward. Things were different then, for sure. I feel like I slipped through a crack and ended up in a wacky world.

It is good to have faith in the Lord or whatever religion you are a member of. It give us inner strength and many mentioned that. However, there is the physical side that need attention. If you can store food, ammo, firearms, other supplies, I'd do so. Learn self defense. Learn as many skills as you can from first aid to car repair and so on. Know who your friends are and who your enemies could be and network.

Yes, we lost a lot from the 1970's to now, mainly our freedoms. Yes our morals have gone down as well. I know I've gotten into trouble before but I admit I tend to lean more libertarian on the equation here although I have strong morals personally. It is up to each of us to pass our morals and ideals to the next generation. Government is a poor enforcer of morality beyond basic laws given to Moses from God. This is something that needs to trickle up and as a society, we have fallen down on it.

I risk the ire of some but yes, we need to understand that sometimes the person that agree with you 85% of the time is your friend. We can be absolute with our own personal morals but not everyone will agree there 100%, but we must not let that get in way of preserving our country. Many social issues are left up to the States to decide, as it should be, unless we amend the Constitution.

A few examples, Mitt Romney is a Mormon, many people here do not agree with some of the Mormon beliefs, that is fine, but we agree on most things and we need to get behind him. Yeah, he is not my first choice, if it were not for Iran, I'd be a Ron Paulie (although I can support Santorum too, met him personally) generally. Still Romney is the only game in town that can beat Obama, and with this current ruling by the "inferior court," I'd say as of now, we have a good chance. That is the first step, the second is to hold him to his promises.

Same her with a friend of mine who is gay. We grew up together, he is like a brother to me. We do not agree on same sex marriage (or his lifestyle), he's for it, I'm against it and would vote that way because of my principles, but we agree to disagree. Most other things, he supports most of what we believe, the 2nd Amendment and so on, he can't stand Obama either and so forth. Again the 85% rule applies, we need to reach out to any and all of those that want to restore our nation to the place of freedom that is was. I don't like the forcing on society by the "gay mafia" either through activist courts and judges nor by the big "pride parades" where any dress scantily. I believe if it remains private and the people are at or above the age of consent, it is their business. If you want to dress up like "Mr. Slave" from "South Park," get a room, we, along with our kids and the rest of us do not need to see that. Still, I'd welcome my friend and his partner to the efforts to restore America. When it comes to the "American Dream," whatever it is to each of us, we all have the right to try to achieve that through our skills, training and qualifications, we will go as far as they can take us. However, there are no guarantee of outcome.

No matter who we are and we all will disagree on a few things, but again, as Ronald Reagan put it, if someone agree with you 80 or 85%, he is your friend and we all need to work together, we need boots on the ground and as many minds as we can muster.

Depending what happens, we may have to go through a lot of Hell to get where we are going and I'm confident that one day, we will put a stop to these shenanigans the progressives are doing to us. God works his magic through the actions of each of us as well.

Lastly, the progressive left is filled with the most vile and ruthless people to push their agenda. The reason why they don't like God and/or religion in general is that it puts something above their puny selves. I have to commend them on one thing though, they fight to win. Obama and Pelosi exhibited that while passing Obamacare, some on our side rolled over. They "earned our bike" on that one. Many on our side fight by the equivalent of the Marquis of Queensbury rules while the progressives fight like street fighters, that is another way to lose. We need that same resolve as we fight them and take them on. It's like Rocky Balboa said where it isn't only the hits you can dish out but take and go on. We need to fight to keep from losing and finally to win. You might be scared but don't let them see your fear, keep fighting for our principles and our nation.

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