A fact about me

Have I ever told you I'm afraid of snakes? No, well I am. And I know what you're saying, so am I, so is everybody. But everybody is not scared of snakes the way I am, I have a really inappropriately large fear of snakes, as in I think about them every day, every time I go outside which is several times a day, every time I see a stick...even if it really doesn't look that much like a snake at all.

When I was a little girl, my dad played a very innocent trick on me, he made me think there was a snake in the outhouse I was using and it scared me half to death. This I don't think was actually the beginning of my fear, I think it just gave me an unusual fear of toilets for the next 8 years or so...but that's another story :). Apparently fear has been a big part of my life for most of it.

But back to the snakes. Every time we go out on a walk in anything wooded or play in the yard for that matter I think about snakes being somewhere unseen and have to pray for God to protect us and that I won't be afraid. This works relatively well, when I let God help me with my fear. What stinks is I absolutely love being outdoors and going on walks in wooded areas and my constant worry about the snakes steals so much of my joy away.

The other day the usual Christian radio station I listen to was not working so I switched it over to a country station and it was on the morning talk part, which I really enjoy, until suddenly they were talking to a woman with the local animal shelter about the fact that snakes have been unusually active this spring and they're seeing several pets get bitten. Why, oh why, did I have to hear that, it does me no good, and only gives me a new vengeance to my snake worries as I go out each day.

But heres the thing, I go out each day. I'm scared, but I do it anyway, that has been my motto for some years now and although I find the fears haven't necessarily gone away, I am able to not let them stop me from doing something that I enjoy or even just something I need to do.

How about you, what scares you? What could you resolve to do, even though it scares you?

*Can I tell you how much my skin is crawling right now, after going to find a picture of a snake for my blog, I can't even look at pictures of them without freaking out!*