15 Bible Verses for Overcoming Fear via Meditation with Scripture

These are unique times. Historic. Landmark. Unprecedented. 

If you've ever had any issues with anxiety, the realities of daily news announcements and updates regarding the growth of the world pandemic are undoubtedly upsetting. At what point did you become concerned? 

Everything became very REAL for me, with the dual notice that Tom Hanks and his wife had contracted the virus -- coupled with seeing the empty toilet paper shelves in each of our stores. The virus suddenly had a 'face' and all expectations that things could remain the same had vaporized. Simultaneously.

We have officially entered the unknown. 

My husband and I are in the higher risk category due to our age bracket and with his heart issues that puts us into the underlying compromised health category as well. We have decided to 'self-seclude' and will be staying very close to home. No dancing. No DoWopWednesday. No yoga. No Harry Connick Jr. concert. No first time ever to go to the Masters Tournament. And for me professionally? No giving the conference keynote in Massachusetts. 

We didn't go to church this morning. Tough decision to make. Necessary. Life is indeed different. Already.

I am dealing with all of these changes to our schedule/routines and the myriad of unknowns by meditating on my favorite scripture verses. I recite them to myself as I go to sleep every night. I started with my one (AND ONLY) memory verse and then added the Lord's prayer. I start each new day by going through those same memory verses. Bookends to my day.

[SPOILER ALERT: In the two months since I started this practice of meditating on scripture passages, I have gone from my original set of two verses, to NOW BEING ABLE TO RECITE 100 VERSES!!!!   I'll have to write more on that process at another point in time, but for now, let me just say YES! ONE HUNDRED VERSES!!]

I've also been spending time in my 'scripture collection' of my photos, where I have added a Bible verse in print to embellish the image. I have spent this weekend going through my favorites and creating some new ones. 

My hope is that by sharing these images with you here, they may offer you support as well. 

When in doubt, start with the classic: 
"Be still and know that I am God." 

All of the photos above I have taken over our summers in Door County, Wisconsin.

The two Saguaro cactus photos that follow are from our Cabo trip last fall. 

The water lilies are from right here where we live in Vero Beach, FL. 

I have written a prayer integrating these favorite scripture verse, into the prayer itself. 

Here We Go: The BIG Show!

My migration south for the winter is officially underway -- in earnest. Giving the keynote for the Treasure Coast conference of early childhood professionals makes me feel ever so much more connected to my adopted snow-bird state: Florida!!

I am officially a month behind in documenting my "fun-on-the-run." For some technological mystery beyond my capability to unravel -- my 'automatic' blog connection between my Picasa and blogspot, has apparently broken down??? I had the idea to upload the pictures directly from my own folder of photos, bypassing Picassa altogehter. So following this method I can begin to get caught up a bit!

Well here ya go -- a peek into my upbeat, engaging, get-the-audience involved keynote. As you can see by the expressions captured, those in attendance joined my merriment with joy and delight: just the way I like it.

FREEZING FROZEN

Wow do I seriously LOVE that first shot!!! All of us having fun! My backdrop singer-dancers who have joined me on the stage, all in unison striking a pose. That's pretty awesome. Seeing EVERYone in the audience mirroring our antics is extra sweet. Well done team. Maybe I should have a couple dozen early childhood college students along on every outting? What a delight!!!

AWESOME ART in Amityville!

Northeast School. Amityville, Long Island, New York. Dateline: December 1st, 2010. Amazing-est author visit of all amazing author visits.

Imagine six months of planning and a stream of emails getting more & more excited as the day approaches. Imagine walking into the back door of a gymnasium -- having traversed around the playground outside. Imagine opening the door and seeing this incredible, one-of-a-kind labor of love. To say I was breathless, to say I was speechless, to say I was over-come, to say I was impressed, to say that I was in tears -- would at least get you into the right hemisphere of my response.

What you see here is a community quilt created by over 300 PreK & Kindergarten students under the direction of Melissa-the-Art-Teacher as coordinated by Tina the library-teacher/early literacy specialist as authorized by Mrs. Collins the principal. Those of you who have followed my travels for any length of time know that I am often met with "love" on my visits, yet this day was superlative in every possible facet of it's expression.

What you're witnessing is passion-in-action. A committed team approach to literacy. My own work was the focus of Tina's library study for the entire month of November with all her classes of children. Each week they 'worked' on and became familiar with another one of my books and or songs. Wow!!!

To see the culmination in this community project set my pulse racing at a gazillion miles an hour, before I met the first child. WOW!!!!

Melissa explained that each child was allowed to select their own 3 squares in the colors of their choice to anchor & construct their individual & unique quilt square. It is obvious that she supplied oodles of foamie 'shape pieces' and there was obviously sufficient glue available to affix the foamies in a collage arrangement. The individual quilt squares were then applied to the classroom's backdrop of butcher-paper-on-the-roll with some simple tape.

Did you follow that? Are you impressed?? Overwhelmed??

These squares were created by our miniature Picasso-Nevelson artists in response to the quilts that I created for the illustrations in my first picture book, "You're Wonderful." Let me just go on record and say: "Northeast School, students, staff and administrators -- I think YOU'RE WONDERFUL!!!" Thank you one and all for this amazing wall of color, of creativity, of energy, of enthusiasm -- of JOY. What a well spring of ideas for others to inspire others.