The Man in the Corner

I have several things on my heart at the moment but tonight I want to share something that God reminded me of a few weeks back. I fully intended on writing this post 2 weeks ago but life gets ahead of me at times. A couple of weekends ago, Tommy and I went out for dinner and a chance to slow down and rest. As we were walking up to the restaurant Tommy saw a man sitting alone in the far back corner. Tommy recognized the man and proceeded to tell me "do not stare at that man, he is very fearful of making contact with people". Apparently this gentleman comes into Wal-Mart frequently and Tommy is aware of his great fear and desire to avoid others. Naturally, when someone tells you NOT to look at something or someone it is the exact thing you are then tempted to do. I didn't make a big deal of staring at him but it was hard not to notice him. The man had moved a small table all the way up against the corner, he sat with his back to the entire restaurant, he wore a hat that had a net to conceal his face, and he was careful to look down the entire time he was there. As I took in the sight, my heart went out to him. What was his story? Had something happened to him that caused this great fear in his life? Was there anyone who could reach out to this man and have love for him and relationship with him? I realized that it was very possible that he had faced great tragedy or heartache in his life- but what....what was so life-altering that he now operated out of it day in and day out? As I was considering these things something else occurred to me. Here was a man that was terrified of people watching him, a man that did not want the attention or contact of others, and in the process of trying to "hide" he had actually made himself more noticeable than anyone in the entire room. I started thinking about the role fear had played in my own life at times and God began to show me a very real truth- fear is both crippling and consuming. Fear makes us a wide open target for the enemy to attack and begin taking over truth with lies. Fear can keep us from so many things and it can change the way we live. When I operate in fear, I begin to isolate myself from the truth that surrounds me. Living in fear is never what God wants for us- it is why His word tells us over and over again "Do NOT be AFRAID....be strong and courageous.... the Lord your God IS WITH YOU". My heart still aches for this man,  for the sadness he lives in everyday because he has not found the glorious peace that God gives when we hand our fears over and agree to trust- to believe and to take God at His word. Releasing our fears is not an easy task; for me, it is a task that I sometimes have to do over and over, but praise Jesus that He is able and He is with me always. I hope when fear trys to grip my heart in the future, I will remember the man in the corner and release my fears to God.