Mud, Mud Everywhere

I was digging a ditch for better drainage in the yard, and the sticky Georgia mud spread everywhere. It was on my hands and arms, all over my clothes, in my hair, down my boots. When I'm in the mud, everything I touch becomes muddy, so I have to drop everything outside and hose myself off before I go back in the house. Otherwise, I'd leave a trail of mud wherever I stepped or touched anything in the house.

Like mud, emptiness and fear spread everywhere. Our fears, for example, affect the way we talk to our spouses, children, and people at work. Fear blinds us and cripples our ability to make good decisions.

Regrettably, what we tend to do is respond to each incident where we've injured a relationship or made a bad decision because of our fears. We get lost in the endless details and conflicts, when the real solution is to eliminate the fear. We have to leave all the fear at the door, just like Georgia mud. If we don't lose the emptiness and fear—which can be done only with love—we'll be endlessly and futilely responding to the mud we leave everywhere in the house as we walk or sit or touch anything.