… since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles…. (Hebrews 12:1)
We recently returned from Scotland and Ireland. Where Florida has a feels-like temperature of over 100 degrees, the UK was fifty degrees, with gusting winds and rainy weather. The links courses, with their long wispy grasses and gorse, make golf over there feel like an entirely different sport.
Calamity Corner is the nickname of the par 3, hole 16 at Royal Portrush. It requires a full carry over a deep ravine. If you miss right, you will find yourself in thick rough that could be 100 feet down in a chasm. That is exactly where my husband found himself.
To be fair, the crosswind blowing that direction was incredible. After the caddie found his ball, he carefully traversed down. I saw the wee top of his head and the scene unfolding, so I quickly grabbed my phone and zoomed in for a documented memory.
Incredibly, he got through the dense vegetation, and the ball landed on the apron of the green, where he two-putted for a well-deserved bogey.
That harshness of the climate in Northern Ireland and the warmth of the Irish people stand in stark contrast to each other.
I wonder if the reason the people of Ireland have such a great attitude in life is because of something my daughter told me about their language:
Tá brón orm is the way the Irish would say – “I am sad.” Tá eagla orm – “I am afraid.” Tá fearg orm – “I am angry.”
More correctly translated, it says, “Sadness is upon me,” “Fear is upon me,” “Anger is upon me.” This wording makes all the difference.
It reminds us that we are not an emotion. Emotions don’t define who we are. Only the One who created and designed us has the right to define us. And He has defined us as His child, friend, heir, chosen, holy, precious, redeemed, and loved, to name a few.
If we view emotions as a spiritual element that lies on us like a heavy blanket, rather than a personal character flaw, we can battle it in an entirely different way.
Not “I AM afraid,” rather, “fear is upon me.” It is not who I am, but instead, a temporary covering. According to our verse above, through the power of the Spirit within us, we can throw off that which so easily entangles us. To do so, we use the Word of God.
When I feel anxious or afraid, I no longer look at it as me being a coward, but as a spirit of fear lying over me. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”
When a negative emotion feels as if it is paralyzing you and inhibiting you from “running your race,” use God’s Word and picture the gentle hands of Jesus reaching down and removing the heavy weighted blanket off you.
This year, the fog over Shinnecock Hills stopped the US Open from moving forward until the sun broke through. So, it is with the blanket of negative emotion that can cover us and hinder our progress. Allow the Son to break through and do the work of clearing the air.
“Go lonrai an ghrian go te ar d’aghaidh” (i.e., May the sunshine warm upon your face.)
Prayer: Our Creator and Healer, thank you for defining who we are as your precious children. Help us to understand we are not an emotion, but powerful children of the one true God. We thank you for your words that can remove the blanket of negativity. Help us live a victorious life for You. Amen