Grand Rapids, MI is not the place you would normally expect to see a tiger on the loose.
On Thursday, May 28, it looked like that bit of normalcy was coming to an end. The Animal Control office of Grand Rapids received a call of a tiger sunning itself in the backyard of an abandoned home.
Officer Joe Dainelis responded to the call with his co-worker Rachelle Jenson.
They slowly drove past the driveway of the abandoned home. There it was, a tiger, lying on the driveway. They quickly called police for assistance.
As they waited for police the two animal control officers each grabbed a shield and a pole normally used for dealing with dogs.
They decided to each approach the animal from a different direction. Ever so slowly they crept towards the potentially vicious animal from behind.
Suddenly, they both came to the realization the tiger was simply a large stuffed animal.
While the tiger turned out to be nothing more than a toy I’m sure both Joe and Rachelle would tell you their fear was very real. They believed it was a real tiger and their fear was in proportion to the fear they would have felt if it had been real.
As I read this story it reminded me of the imaginary monsters I encountered almost nightly under my bed or in my closet. Those monsters were all in my head but the fear I experienced was very real. I’m sure my parents would agree my fear was real as they often had to come upstairs and do a bed and closet check to assure me there was nothing there.
FEAR – False Evidence Appearing Real.
Our mind has the powerful ability to create great anxiety for us in our lives based on false evidence.
I have a bad habit of calling my two adult daughters and leaving messages for them, or simply texting them, that I need to speak with them. I don’t provide much information other than I need to speak with them.
When they return my call they often start the conversation with, “what’s wrong” or “who died?”
They don’t have much evidence to go on based on my message so they create their own evidence.
We all do this and, more often than not, the evidence isn’t real.
That meeting your boss wants to have with you on Friday; maybe it’s to tell you she appreciates the great work you’ve been doing lately and not to tell you your being let go.
The message you received from your best customer asking you to call them right away; maybe it’s to tell you they want to double their order and not to tell you they’re upset with something.
That bump on the back of your neck that you won’t go see the doctor about; it’s just a big zit and not a cancerous tumor.
Bad things do happen in our lives. Don’t borrow anxiety until you have all the evidence.
Do you remember a time in your life when your mind compiled a bunch of false evidence and you jumped to some horrible conclusions?
Do you have the courage to begin to wait for the real evidence to come in before coming to a conclusion?
It’s time to stop living in the land of the stuffed tiger!
2 Timothy 1:7
Have a STRONG and COURAGEOUS day!
Found this timed just right. Heart attack on May 4, surgery, stent put into 99% blocked artery. Another was blocked 80%, Cardiologist said that would be done in couple of weeks. So time passed, and every day I felt chest pains, real or imagined, they were there, suggesting that the other blocked artery needed attention. So on June 5, go to hospital to have procedure. In the last two days leading up to this procedure, my chest pains intensified, and my mind said, just get to the 5th and all will be well. As surgery started, my fears were on high alert, being conscious I heard Dr. talking and others saying things that did not sound bad, but rather questioning and positive. Finally the Cardiologist came from behind the X ray machine and informed me the blockage was down to 50%, and no stent could be done, due to medical protocol. I was surprised to say the least, he suggested possible reasons, blocked due to stress during heart attack, medications were working, healthy diet changes and losing 7 pounds, but I knew the real reason….THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS from so many people and friends. But to the point, the fears of that blockage were real in my mind, even though reality was that artery was getting better. Our minds are powerful tools, for both good and bad thoughts. Blessings Dave for your continued work and blogs.
Craig, as always, thank you for taking the time to read and respond to my post.
I so appreciate your perspective on this because if I were in your shoes I believe I would have felt very much the same as you did. To me, it sounds as though the evidence was quite clear from your doctors a couple of weeks ago. What a blessing to discover the reality was not as serious as it had been thought to be. As you outline, there may be several reasons for that but I would agree with you that prayer played a significant role in your recover.
I’m always hesitant to throw my fear and courage thoughts into the personal health arena. You were dealing with life and death and I think fear is a rational way to face it and I would question anyone who says they aren’t afraid to some degree.
I do believe fear and courage come into play when people, particularly men, believe they may have a health issue but refuse to get it checked out because men are tough and it’s no big deal. It takes courage to deal with our issues of health or whatever.
Thanks so much for being so engaged with me and my blog, Craig! I appreciate it more than you know and am continuing to pray for a full recovery and longer and straighter drives for you!
Dave Cornell