I'm Scared

[Katz25]

Not sure if this is where I'm suppose to post this. Off today from work and I've been watching the news and reading e-mails, christian TV, and to be just flat truthful for the first time that I know of I'm scared. I have talked about all the things going on right now happening, I know it will get worse, but I've never been scared. But today it was like something slapped me in the face and said wake up, get busy, it's coming, get ready. And I don't know if I am or you ever can be. I'm scared because my dad's health hasn't been great and if something happens and it's just me can I do it. I'm scared because of everything going on in the world..earthquakes, all kinds of weather, bombings, killings, radical groups wanting to kill police, it seems like everything is coming at the same time. All the things going on in the government..Healthcare Bill, Obama, all of it. I remember when there were a few stories, but now its just like one event after another. It seems like things are happening to fast and I just want it to stop.

 

I've got a lot of things going on personally, just like all of you, but my heart feels uneasy and heavy. I don't know if its just me. Does anyone else feel scared, like things are getting out of control. I know I'm not prepared like I should be, not anywhere near and that scares me. I've been worried about things, but this is new to me and I'm very uneasy about it.

 

Sorry guess I just needed to tell someone. I just wondered if anyone else was feeling this too.

[DonsCountryGal]

I just wondered if anyone else was feeling this too.

 

Yes...you are definitely not alone in this feeling. Sometimes, lately, I get that real sudden scared feeling in the pit of my stomach...like when you get when you have to make a stop to keep from hitting the car in front of you.

 

Like you, I'm not as ready as I'd like to be...just need some more time!...something I'm afraid we're quickly running out of.

 

Lord...help us...in Your merciful care...please help us...

[WormGuy]

All the time Katz, every day.

 

 

 

John

[Becca_Anne]

I've been there before. Not as much now, but I'm not sure why. Maybe because I feel it's already here? I think all you can do is continue to prepare one can at a time, one skill at a time and keep looking for the good in life. Life has always been hard. It's just in the last 100 years or so we've kind of come to rely on others instead of ourselves, and things were kind of stable at least in the developed world. Now it's back to being what it always was, a "may you live in interesting times" kind of world. I'm sorry you're feeling so scared

[quiltys41]

Yes, even after years of being at this, now, at this time, I feel like I can never have enough or do enough to be ready. I stayed away from the news for almost two weeks because of family matters. What I returned to yesterday when I saw the news on tv and read too almost made my blood chill. It scared me, mostly what is going on in DC and now filtering down to us here in the heartland.

 

I know things have to be this way, that they have to get worse before He returns. But I never imagined it would really happen in my lifetime. Not for real. Now, it seems like it is happening. And that is where I find my comfort, knowing His return is not far off....

 

Q

[DonsCountryGal]

Now, it seems like it is happening. And that is where I find my comfort, knowing His return is not far off....

 

Amen, Q, AMEN!

[Darlene]

Yes, I agree that this world is spiraling out of control, faster than we can hang on. I don't think any of us can ever be 100% prepared because it's normal and natural to be dependent on outside resources for various things. I think what we all do is work hard prepping, trying to minimize that dependence on outside sources, while at the same time, being willing to let go of some of the things that we used to be able to have or do.

 

Does that make sense?

 

So, that's my overall, birds eye perspective on prepping. When I narrow that perspective down to my life specifically, various emotions have played a part over the years...worry, fear, anxiousness, etc.

 

I don't know...I've been doing this a long time now in various ways...first in the city, and now in the country. I've been panicked, obsessed, fearful, stressed, overwhelmed, etc., at various times over the years, but have finally kind of settled into acceptance.

 

We've all known per se, that life has no 'givens'. That's one of the reasons we prep. Who's to say that Mother Nature, or life in general, won't deal us a bad hand of cards...so prepping against those possibilities has been one motivation. Couple that with the burden that God lays on our hearts (and this is the primary reason I started prepping years ago...it was a burden I couldn't shake and the only way I could assauge it was to prep), and we realize that there are very strong and valid reasons we prep. I believe it's wise to prep and have taken alot of heat over the years being called crazy and numerous other things.

 

So here we are and many things we were concerned about, are unfolding before our eyes. We look at our sometimes pitiful stashes of preparations and it's no wonder that fear floods the heart and panic sets in.

 

I'd like to ask though, like I've asked myself many times, Who really is in control?...and can I trust Him or not? Many times I've gotten tired of all the work that goes into prepping and I have seriously prayed and asked Him if I was just crazy for doing all this work or if this really was Him that was driving me to keep prepping. Without fail, every single time, He's confirmed that at least for me, part of His will for my life is to prep. There are times though, that I have to have talks with myself...

 

Can I really prep and do it all? No.

 

Can I ask Him where He wants me to prep? Yes, and then trust that He will be faithful to bring into my 'storehouses' exactly what I'll need.

 

Is all this work and burnout how I want to live my life? No...but neither is that His will for my life either.

 

etc, etc, etc.

 

As I ask myself questions like that I remember I'm not in control and I choose once again to trust Him. I know that He is a God of balance and on my own, I can get off kilter real fast. With Him though, I can prep, and also keep my hand in His and trust that no matter how little or much I have prepped, He's God and is more than able to bridge the gap between what I have and what I need. I've been doing this too long, I work way too hard at it, and I guess I've just got to the point where, although I still prep, a part of me has burned out (and this is a good burn out lol) and released my grasp on being responsible for everything, and let it lay at His feet because I cannot do any more than I already am. I'm my own worst critic...other people may look at me and say "wow, not too shabby!", yet in my mind I'm thinking "oh geez, I need to do this and that, I need to work harder, do more, etc", and that is just nuts.

 

I just believe His grace and mercy is enough. I haven't done any of it perfectly, but I have worked hard most times, I have taken it seriously, and the intent of my heart is what His eye is upon. He knows I'm fragile and limited, but He's the total opposite of that.

 

So the fear, for me, is just not something that rules me anymore. Perhaps I'm just too tired to be afraid, perhaps fear is a drain on already overtaxed resources that I just can't justify the luxury of fear. Or perhaps, I believe that He is all He says He is and that He loves me and I can trust Him.

 

I really mean what I say there...they're not just "words". Life is too serious anymore to play games with 'feel good' words, so after all these years, this is where I have finally settled in because for me, I have no other choice...or I choose no other option.

[Crazy4Canning]

Nicely said, Darlene.

 

All of us can relate in some way or another, Denise.

 

For me, it was a matter of becoming proactive about it. I knew I couldn't change the world, but I *could* change the way I took out the trash, for example. I began to be hypervigilant about recycling, shredding ANYTHING that was remotely personal, ripping labels off magazines, etc. We got a worm bin to feed the shreddings to.

 

I also realized that I have to eat a very particular diet. When I don't, I get sick. How could I plan so I always had something to eat on hand? I learned to can, preserve food, and my husband made me a pantry.

 

On and on it goes, but the main idea is that you're *here*. You're learning as you can and recognize that you don't have to give in to fear, but actively get ready for what's coming.

 

So - pick a place and start getting ready! It doesn't have to be a major area - maybe start by cleaning out a pantry and really looking at what you eat, how you rotate stuff and add a few cans of extra green beans the next time you go shopping.

 

Do check our forums here - Are You Really Ready? is a great one, for it discusses different ways to prepare that you may not have thought of.

 

Hugs to you !

 

[Motherhen]

I've felt this before too, esp. when there is so much going on at once. Feeling bombarded with it all and not being able to recoup from one 'disaster' until another one hit. Despite being prepared for a lot of scenarios, I did feel what you're feeling, but I felt at the time that I had to step away from prep forums for a while. Everything was just too overpowering for me with it being in front of me both in real life and on the forums. I just needed a break --not read newspapers, see news etc..to feel like I was living the old normal life to whatever extent possible. It gave me the stability and time to recuperate that I needed to face reality.

[Ambergris]

Yes. But you can only chew one bite at a time.

[AMarthaByHeart]

Katz, I have felt scared and so overwhelmed at times, because it seems the more I do the further behind I think I am. Finally, I have come to realize that we can only do so much, and only have so much time and money. We can imagine the very worst senerio, but that doesn't mean it will happen or be that way. We just do the best we can because we only have today to worry about. God will take care of tomorrow. I agree with everyone else. It is time that we really start leaning on HIM and less on ourselves. He is in control even though we try to be in control and fix everything. I have found when I finally say to Our Heavenly Father that it is all His and I can't do it anymore, that things look different. My problem is I start thinking AGAIN, listening to the news networks, and reading alot. Here we go again.

 

As for prepping, I have started having fun learning how to become more self-sufficent. When I retired, I thought that life would not have anymore gardening, canning, sewing, etc. I think I went brain dead. Life was going to be traveling, taking care of parents, grandchildren, doing whatever I wanted. Wrong!!!!!!!!!! Some of my friends think that I now have a screw loose. As things were beginning to get worse in the world, I found MRS.S Where else would I learn about making cheese, yogurt, Mother's cooker, adobe ovens, making chicken tractors (first thought I was going to learn how to use a chicken for a chicken power tractor), dutch oven cooking, etc. I can go on and on. I have found it is one bag of beans, rice etc. at a time. Get your dad, grandparent or another person who went through the depression, WW11 etc to tell you how they survived and write it down. they can be a wealth of info. Go to the library. They have a good one there. Start checking books out. On Mrs.S, there is a list of books that are a good read. Go to the Whistle Stop, the antique-flea market store or hit garage sales, and start finding small things you might need. Try to accomplish one thing a day, small or big. It can be make a list, spring cleaning, decluttering, and even stopping to smell the roses (or mesquites in WTX). Try and relax. Enjoy what time the Lord has given us.

 

Remember no matter what happens, we know the end of the story--and keep looking up because our Savior is returning. He never promised it would be an easy road to travel, but He will give us strength to go through it. We are in the palm of His hand and no one can snatch us out.

[MommyofSeven]

If you read back through the years of posts here, you will see many of us posting the same thing at one time or another. Whether it was general events, or something striking us personally, we have all been where you stand.

 

Fear is something the bible tells us we shouldn't have. At the same time, we were designed (by Him) to feel it. Fear can serve two purposes:

1. It can light a fire under our butts

2. It can cause us to panic and hide

 

This place is such a wonder of thoughts, ideas, and practicality, that God brought you here for a reason-to help light that fire. I second or third or fourth everything that's been said. Do work, get to where you are closer to where you need to be (really, will any of us be 100% prepped? Maybe if we won the lotto!), and learn all you can. Ask for help when you need it, and you will find this amazing community again open up to help you find the answers you need.

 

Blessings,

Mo7

[TurtleMama]

I certainly can't say anything better than anyone else has already said, so I will just say that I know what you're feeling. It's a scary world, and it is only getting worse.

 

Do one thing at a time. Learn one skill, master it, then learn another. Prep for a week, then a month, then two, and so on. If you only have a little money to spend, put it toward your biggest prep hole. Write lists. If you feel too overwhelmed to do anything else (that was me a couple of months ago), just print info off the web and organize it into a notebook. At least you'll still feel like you're doing something, and you are...the most important prep of all...accumulating knowledge.

 

God bless you, Katz, and may He minister to you despite of and, perhaps, through this season of fear.

 

 

[CrabGrassAcres]

Remember that the Father knew you would live in this time and place and He put you here anyhow. He always has a purpose and a plan for our lives and He can and will see us thru.

 

Sometimes I long to dwell in some far away, quiet and happy utopia, instead of this turbulent and sometimes scary world. Then I remind myself that the Father is in control, not me, and He knows best.

[tabby]

I get scared alot of the time because i want to prep but there is never enough money it seems. We sruggle from week to week. But i know in my heart and soul that my Heavenly Father will take care of that problem when He sees fit. As far as disasters go it seems like they are happening more often.What is happening in our government worries me.

[kathy003]

I can't add anything, I can just tell you that I feel the same way. I can tell you, that this forum is the only place that I can come and not feel alone and this forum gives me the incentive to keep on prepping.

 

And, like everyone said, just do what you can and The Lord will take care of the rest