Our summer vacation made me ever aware of the need to balance fun with fear. Sometimes what my family thought was fun caused much fear in me.
Our pastor says "Fear is faith in the enemy," and that is not a good thing. Yet he also reminds us that God lets us have free will, and sometimes we live with unpleasant consequences when we do unwise things. So how do we balance this?
In my profession as a physician, I simply know too much sometimes. I have seen people with severe injuries from accidental causes. I don't want to be too cautious that I steal my kids' fun, yet protecting them is one of my jobs as their parent.
When they see a large glacial rock or a large, knobby tree with low branches, they see a fun climb. Yet when they go up too high, I see a tibia sticking out of their leg or a devastating traumatic head injury. That fear takes away my fun. Which of us is right?
Our pastor says "Fear is faith in the enemy," and that is not a good thing. Yet he also reminds us that God lets us have free will, and sometimes we live with unpleasant consequences when we do unwise things. So how do we balance this?
In my profession as a physician, I simply know too much sometimes. I have seen people with severe injuries from accidental causes. I don't want to be too cautious that I steal my kids' fun, yet protecting them is one of my jobs as their parent.
When they see a large glacial rock or a large, knobby tree with low branches, they see a fun climb. Yet when they go up too high, I see a tibia sticking out of their leg or a devastating traumatic head injury. That fear takes away my fun. Which of us is right?
I found that this trip helped me learn more about my kids' abilities. They are stronger, have more balance, and more endurance than I knew. Once I learned that I was less fearful.
But sometimes, I still see a tibia sticking out of their leg. Look away, Mom, look away.
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