Dread

   "Faith in many a one falters when the apprehensions come, they forget the meaning of God's say-so, forget to take a deep breath spiritually. The only way to get the dread taken out of us is to listen to God's say-so." (Oswald Chambers)

   Originally, when I began today's journal, I used the word fear instead of dread. Then as I thought about what I really feared, I realized that the word dread came much closer to my apprehensions.

   For one thing I do not like confrontations, especially if I have to initiate one. My nature is to seek harmony in my relationships with others. Maybe it is a need to be liked, but if I see a situation that needs to be corrected, in my opinion, I am more likely to say that it will work itself out in the long run, than to confront the person at fault, again in my opinion, with a need to do something about it. I really dread this scenario, and generally avoid it.

   This avoidance frequently is a cop-out on my part and many times is not the correct way to go. It shows a lack of conviction on my part of what I truly believe is right.

   I am praying for two things today:
       the resolve to confront when and where God leads
       an attitude of love in all these situations