What??? Oh, no! My eyes were like deer's eyes caught in headlights. My high school speech teacher said, "Class, today you'll use hand gestures as you give your speech." I was petrified! Since I was extremely shy, during my first speech the day before, I stood stiff as a board with only my mouth moving while I trembled inside with extreme fear. Horrified that I would now have to use gestures, I once again stood stiffly in front of the class. Not knowing how to gesture, like a robot I jerked my right arm bent at the elbow straight up and then did the same robot movement with my left arm. The class laughed and laughed hysterically! I froze wide-eyed too scared to move! They laughed even harder. Suddenly I felt the teacher beside me putting her arm gently around my shoulder while empathetically saying, "Myrna, you don't ever have to use hand gestures again."
Fast forward 25 years and the words “Fear Not! I am with you! My perfect love casts out fear!” kept ringing in my ears as I walked towards the teacher’s lounge. I still had an extreme fear of man -- fear of what others would think or say and the fear of not knowing what to say -- had greatly paralyzed me from openly sharing about Jesus Christ to my colleagues. But this day was different. I was determined to “Have faith in God,” the God of love, and do what He was asking me to do. I knew He loved me and I loved Him; therefore, I was expecting His love to flush out all my fears.
That morning before school started, I fearfully yet obediently walked to the entrance of the teacher’s lounge, stood in the doorway (in case I needed to escape quickly) and surveyed my colleagues who were gathered there. There they all were; all of my non-Christian colleagues gathered together to discuss the “latest”.
At that moment God sent my Christian friend, Maria Ellwood, down the hall and she stood beside me at the doorway (which brought great comfort). Taking a deep breath and whispering inside to Jesus, “I’m Yours”, I smiled a huge smile and said, “Good morning, everyone! I’d like to make an announcement. Beginning tomorrow, I will be starting an educator prayer group (with no students present) in my room thirty minutes prior to school and I would like to invite each of you to come so we can pray together.” Dead Silence! Mouths dropped open. The look on their faces was as if I had taken a bucket of ice-cold water and thrown it on them. Obviously, they were stunned. I smiled at them and walked to my room praising the Lord for the victory. That day God had me face my fear and He delivered me from ALL my fears—the fear of man. GOD BROKE IT!
“Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.” Proverbs 29:25
"I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.” Ps.34:4
Myrna Brogdon
Los Fresnos, Texas
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