The Illusion Of Panic
I have a work related vehicle that I use about once a week. When I'm done with
it, it gets parked, I hang the keys on the rack, and I'm done with it until I
need it again. Recently I needed something out of it, so I grabbed the keys and
proceeded to head out to retrieve my item.As I approached the passenger
side of the vehicle, I realized that the door key was missing from the ring. "Oh
no! I don't think I have another one," I gasped. All kinds of thoughts entered
my mind. "How am I going to get to my item? How will I get into the vehicle?
What happened to the key? What am I going to do?" Basically; I was at a moment
of panic. I totally missed the blessing; that it was a Thursday. And I didn't
need to drive the vehicle again until Saturday - think of the grace in
that.We do that a lot; panic. It seems to be our fallen nature. I can
project a scenario into a situation before it even happens. But it's a negative
reaction to situations that rarely require that level of emotion. Greek
mythology tells of a god called Pan. It was believed that he could strike sudden
terror in the hearts of men; thus the word panic.Think about that for a
second. This god really didn't exist. He was a myth. Therefore the word panic is
derived from a mythical god. Therefore, panic is really an illusion; it's a
false emotion. Sudden terror can also be considered fear. Panic is fear. I heard
once the word fear stands for "Future Events Appearing As Real." It hasn't
happened. We fear what we think could happen. I don't know about you, but that
helps me, knowing panic is unnecessary. We can choose another response. Think
about that the next time you feel panic setting in.
Greg Tutwiler, CCLC, BCPC
Scripture verses are from the NIV unless otherwise indicated.
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Greg Tutwiler is a Certified Christian Life Coach (CCLC) a Board Certified Pastoral Counselor (BCPC), a member of the AACC, APPCA, IATM, and UNTCI, an Affiliate Coach and Certified Discipleship Coach with Blueprint For Life Institute, and an ordained minister with UNTC. Greg is also the author of the books, "Stand Your Ground," available at Amazon.com, Passages, and The Transformational Life Journal. You can visit his web site at www.freedomliving.org, or email him at coach@freedomliving.org. |
