Afraid of the Vet!

This past week I took our dog Sadie to the vet for her annual check-up and vaccines. I knew it wasn’t going to go well. And it didn’t. As soon as we began to walk through the first of two sets of doors, she knew where she was, turned around and began pulling to go back out. Once we got into the examining room, she sat with her body right up against my leg with that nervous look in her eyes. When the tech and then the vet came into the room she pushed even harder against me and even went under the chair I was sitting on. No amount of coaxing or bribing with treats was going to get her to allow for an examination, no less any vaccines. We decided I’m going to need to bring her back and allow them to completely sedate her if they are going to be able to get done for her what needs to be done. (And, please no advice…we’ve tried everything! She’s too smart to be tricked!)  

Obviously, Sadie is afraid of the vet.  And I can’t completely blame her. After all, she doesn’t understand that what is happening is for her well-being. All she knows is that some stranger is handling her, prodding at her, and then sticking a needle into her. And her memory is such that when she enters the office, she knows exactly what is going to take place; she knows something “bad” (at least in her mind) is about to happen. 

We all have our own set of fears. For some it’s a fear of flying or heights. Some are afraid of commitment or intimacy. Some are afraid of sickness.  I think my fears have included a fear of enclosed spaces (claustrophobia), a fear of failure, and a fear of rejection. Why I or any of us have certain fears is not always clear. Sometimes our fears have to do with past experiences. Often they have to do with our perceptions—true or not. Many times they come from the fact that we don’t really see the whole picture and thus don’t understand all that is happening to us and around us. 

I’ve come to realize that, it's normal for us to have a set of fears. But the question becomes, what do we do with our fears? Do we, like Sadie, try to run from every situation of which we might be afraid? Do we freeze and cower in the corner, hoping that it will all go away? Or, can we find a way to overcome our fear and move on with life? 

The psalmists were often very honest about their fears.  But they also knew what to do when they were afraid. One of them wrote, “I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.” (Psalm 34:4 – NIV) Another wrote, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust and am not afraid.” (Psalm 56:3-4) Notice that the psalmists don’t deny their fear (like we so often try to do). They are honest about the fact that they are often afraid. But they also refused to allow their fear to freeze them in their tracks. They knew where to turn when fear arose within their hearts; they turned to God, the One  they knew was able to help them overcome all of their fear. The situations of their lives may not have changed, yet the psalmists were able to move forward, in spite of their fear, for they knew they served a God who would help them through all things.  

Throughout my life, I’ve had to do the same many times—i.e.,  turn to God and ask him to give me strength and courage to move past my fears. I’ve had to ask him to replace my fear with renewed trust, confidence, and faith that I might move forward into that which was before me. And, God has been faithful to do just that. I know he can do the same for you. 

Have a great day! 

- Pastor Tim Harris