Abby's Alley

Fear the fire; God made it to burn. Fear the wind; God made it to lash. Fear the quake; God made it to crash. But this fear won't empower you For God is not them.
Fear the storms; they know not their masters. Fear disease; it ravages indiscriminately. Fear wars; they are inevitable. But this fear won't protect you From these instruments in his hands.
Fear other's intentions; they might misuse you.Fear other's grasping; they may rob you.Fear other's passions; they may unravel you.But this fear won't produce a strategyTo keep what's your.
Fear sin's enticement; it seizes every chance.Fear the evil one; he hungers for you.Fear displeasing God; he demands much.But this fear won't save youBecause it never stops striving.
Fear the Lord; his holiness is dangerous.Fear the Creator; he gave you your life.Fear the Master; he has authority here.Fear the Author; he can rewrite you.But unless this fear compels you to yield,You shall never stop fearing.
*I use fear in…

I think I need God for very little because I seem to be able to do most things on my own—eat, sleep, shop, meal plan, settle arguments, keep up relationships, google questions, go to the dentist, etc. I actually need God's help for nearly everything I do. In fact, that little white portion at the bottom of the graph probably doesn't exist at all. Sure, I can physically do a lot on my own, but I can't do anything with a pure heart nor out of love for everyone else on planet earth. Hence, I need God's wisdom in everything. I don't know how my purchases will hurt the environment. I don't know how my splurges will affect the poor. I don't know how my voting will alter the course of history. I don't know how the words I choose will affect another's heart. There is just so much that I don't know. 

If God offers me everything I need—all wisdom, power, and love—through a relationship with him (this is not an instantaneous acquisition but a daily communion…

One: the Reformer "I know how much time, energy, and money it's going to take to do this well, and I just can't do that right now. I'm running too many other things. Sure, we could do it another way, but I just can't stand half-baked ideas, and I'd rather not give at all than see it done poorly."Two: the Helper"You have no idea how much I've already given. I practically destroyed myself giving, and no one seemed to appreciate me at all. So I'm done. Unless they start acknowledging how much I've sacrificed, I won't be giving anymore."Three: the Achiever"I just don't think it's going to succeed. I mean, I've given before and the project was an embarrassing flop. It looked terrible. Of course, if I'd been leading it, it would've been different. How about I do it next time, then I'll give it my all."Four: the Individualist"It just doesn't feel right. Everyone gives. It's so mundane, so or…

Hearing about other's troubles is inevitable. And more often than not, when I hear about them, I compare them to my own. Actually, I think it's a natural tendency: to be in competition with others. Either my problems are harder than yours or your problems are harder than mine. We certainly can't both have hard lives. So I hear about a friend who has more kids than me and whose husband is a firefighter, and I decide she has it harder than me. I deduce that my troubles are smaller than hers, not as difficult, easier. In fact, I decide that I shouldn't be troubled by my troubles at all. They're nothing compared to hers. So I shame myself."You ought to be grateful, you pathetic thing! You don't have it that bad! Your troubles aren't troubles at all! You're just a wimp!" On the other hand, if a single friend complains to me about his responsibilities at work, I'm tempted to patronize him with things like, "But is your office quiet? Do you h…

One: the Reformer"I just had to interrupt because half of what you said wasn't right. And the reason that happened to you is because you should've done it differently. Let me explain the best way."Two: the Helper"I know you didn't finish explaining the problem, but I already know what your problem is and what you could do to make it better. In fact, I'll fix it for you."Three: the Achiever"But if you get all the airtime, I won't have a chance to impress upon you what a great friend I am, how I've accomplished so much, and how you have so many reasons to be proud of me."Four: the Individualist"After you mentioned having a weekend of solitude, I just couldn't listen anymore because it brought back this memory I had two years ago when I was on this hike by myself and even though I was totally alone, I felt in the presence of something marvelous. Oh my gosh!"Five: the Observer"What did you say? Sorry, you weren't…